This adrenaline-pumping adventure happened more than 20 years ago in Goa, India’s famous tourist destination known for its scenic beaches and salubrious climate. Then, it was a quaint and picturesque hamlet quite untouched by commercialism.

I, along with my parents and siblings, stayed at one of Goa’s tourist cottages. I told my parents that I would be taking a walk on the beach and would be back by 7 pm. My parents agreed since Goa was at that time a relatively safe and crime-free city.

At the beach, the sun, like a huge ball of fire, dipped into the watery horizon in a series of vibrant, fiery and panoramic hues. Then when the sun had finally set, the moon, like a silver balloon, proceeded to light up the sky aided by hundreds of twinkling stars. I trudged along the shoreline, my feet getting wet with the soggy sand.

Suddenly, I saw the menacing figure of a well-built man. Concealing myself behind some bushes, I peered at the man who looked like a pirate. His tousled hair was kept in place by a felt hat and the features of his countenance looked threatening and menacing.

A black patch hid one of his eyes and with the other eye he was scanning the horizon with a telescope! His ruffled black pants and brown shirt and jacket made him look every inch like a pirate!

And suddenly, just as I was noticing his thick black boots, I heard a wailing sound, almost like that of a banshee! Heart pounding, I ran wildly and reached my tourist cottage panting breathlessly.

Once in the warmth of the congenial tourist resort, my fears miraculously subsided as I told my parents of my nocturnal adventure. My mother said, “Yes, that statue of a pirate at the beach does look very realistic, doesn’t it?” Sheepishly, I realised that it was just a statue!

I later came to know that the notorious criminal Charles Sobhraj was caught in his escape from Tihar jail at one of Goa’s local restaurants in 1986.

The restaurant became pretty famous and therefore in order to commemorate the event, they made a life-like and very realistic statue of him.

I’m beginning to think that Goa’s starkly realistic statues could any day give Madame Tussaud’s famous wax statues a bid for competition!