A dilapidated mansion in Relau is sending chills down the spines of nearby residents who have heard rumours of “souls” in the building.

Factory operator M. David Raj, 19, who has been hanging out at the Relau Villa mansion with his friends and cousins for the past five years, said he had on several occasions smelt “fish curry” while they were there at about 7pm.

“My friend once uttered some vulgar words while we were coming down the steps in the mansion and he suddenly went tumbling down,” said Raj, who had heard rumours about a woman committing suicide in the mansion’s pool.

Another resident, who only wished to be known as Ah Beng, said a nun who used to live in the mansion grounds once told him that “something is always whispering” to her.

“I never got to find out what it was about because she died about three years ago,” said Ah Beng.

Curious find: Raj (second from right) and his friends taking a closer look at the altar facing the pool in the mansion in Relau yesterday.

The mansion’s condition adds to the eerie atmosphere. It is covered with creeper plants with tree branches making their way up the old stone walls.

The grounds of the single-storey mansion, which is believed to be more than 100 years old, are densely covered in lallang and bushes.

There is a pool right in the middle of the building. The roof of the building is missing.

On Wednesday, China Press reported that seven monks and 30 devotees had offered prayers at the mansion to fulfil a request by the nun. The daily reported that the nun had apparently seen many “souls” at the mansion.

Relau Villa is among the many possessions belonging to Kapitan Cina of Perak Chung Keng Kwee.

Keng Kwee’s great-grandson Owen Chung, 75, who is the trustee of the villa, said the claims by the nun, who he claimed was illegally occupying the land, were not true.

He said there were currently no plans to develop the plot of land.