Gangtok, Feb. 18 -- A young boy from Kashmir had the fright of his life when doctors pulled a long, snake-like worm straight out of his nostril-a scene straight out of a horror movie. The bizarre and unsettling incident took place at the Government Medical College (GMC) in Anantnag, where stunned doctors removed a 9 to 10 cm-long wriggling parasite that had been lurking inside the boy's nasal passage.

The nine-year-old, a resident of Banihal town in Ramban district, had been suffering from mysterious symptoms, including weight loss and a declining appetite. But things took a terrifying turn when his parents noticed something truly disturbing-a thin, tail-like creature occasionally slithering out of his nose before retreating back inside....