Why young Indians are risking fines and arrest to explore abandoned places
You can now easily find Indian Surbex (urban exploration) content creators across social media platforms. The dramatic footage of deserted malls, crumbling factories and unfinished buildings, long-forgotten adventure parks often attract millions of views.
The dogs appeared out of nowhere.
Three German Shepherds emerged from the darkness of an abandoned aircraft scrapyard, barking and charging towards a group of young men who had slipped into the property hoping to film videos for social media. For a few frantic moments, all thoughts of adventure disappeared.
"I almost got torn apart," recalls one 20-year-old explorer. "But somehow managed to escape."
A few months earlier, another young man found himself standing before a police officer inside a deserted theatre that had long been sealed off from the public. The officer threatened to take him to the police station. Elsewhere, others have sneaked into abandoned malls, climbed unfinished skyscrapers, wandered through shuttered hospitals.
They are not security guards, real-estate agents or government inspectors. Most are just students. And they are part of a growing online subculture built around entering places most people would never think of visiting. The activity is known as urban exploration, or "urbex" - the practice of exploring abandoned, forgotten or restricted spaces, often documenting the experience through photographs and videos.
Once considered a niche hobby popular mainly in Europe and North America, urbex has quietly gained traction in India.
You can now easily find Indian urbex content creators across social media platforms. The dramatic footage of deserted malls, crumbling factories and unfinished buildings, long-forgotten adventure parks often attract millions of views.
Urbex is dangerous and often involves trespassing, but enthusiasts are driven by thrill, curiosity, and a desire to document forgotten places. Critics view it as risky and illegal, while authorities and social media platforms are concerned about injuries and the promotion of hazardous behaviour.
Yet despite the risks of fines, arrests, accidents and confrontations with security personnel, young Indians continue to seek out these forgotten spaces.
The people interviewed for this story, all of whom are in their early twenties, refused to reveal their names due to privacy concerns and the legal implications associated with urban exploration.
For one 20-year-old explorer, the appeal is simple: adrenaline. "The adrenaline rush and the thrill make us come back to such spots," he told India Today Digital.
His list of explored locations reads like an urban adventurer's checklist: abandoned malls, forgotten residential societies, scrapped aircraft, water parks, hospitals, villas, factories, burnt-down theatres and even the rooftops of active malls.
Another explorer, also 20, sees something deeper in the activity.
"What drew me to urban exploration is the nostalgia, the forgotten time and the lost memories which no one bothers about after forgetting," he said. "The urge of witnessing a crowded and cheerful place go silent and frozen is what keeps me coming back."
For many in the community, abandoned places represent more than empty structures. They are snapshots of another era - spaces where life once flourished but now sit untouched, suspended in time.
The appeal of the forbidden
Urban exploration is of course not new. The practice has existed for decades across Europe and North America, where enthusiasts have documented abandoned subway tunnels, factories, hospitals and military installations. What has changed is the role of social media.
Short-form videos and dramatic visuals have transformed abandoned spaces into compelling content. A crumbling mall or a deserted amusement park can generate far more intrigue online than a routine travel vlog.
Several Indian explorers say the trend has accelerated rapidly over the past year.
"When we started one or two years ago, there was nothing such as urban exploration being discussed openly," says one explorer. "Now it's all over the internet and people are willing to join."
"The only reason we stay anonymous is because first of all, we can't explain to family members and relatives what we're actually doing," says one explorer. "Second, it helps us avoid legal trouble. No face, no case."
Others cite privacy concerns and social judgment.
But the risks are real.
For all the romanticism surrounding abandoned places, urban exploration comes with significant dangers. Many locations are structurally unstable. Floors may collapse. Staircases may be damaged. Sharp debris, exposed electrical systems, broken glass and hazardous materials are common.
Then there are the unexpected encounters like that with German Shepherd guard dogs or security personnel.
"Urban exploration was never safe to start with," shared another explorer. "Every abandoned spot has guards, barricades or fences. We have to be very sneaky and suppress our every possible movement."
Encounters with law enforcement are not uncommon either.
One explorer recounts being caught inside an abandoned theatre by a police officer.
"He was straight up like, 'Let's go to the police station.' He even told us the location was sealed by the High Court," he recalls. "But after talking to him for a while, he understood we weren't doing anything wrong inside the place and let us go."
Another explorer had a more intimidating experience involving personnel from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). "It was a rough time," he says. "But they were convinced that I was just a kid who meant no harm."
A global trend under scrutiny
Authorities and social media companies have increasingly expressed concern that such content may encourage imitation.
Earlier this month, police in Northampton, England, issued a warning about the growing trend: "We're increasingly seeing young people accessing derelict buildings, empty properties and even climbing onto rooftops, often to film content for social media."
Social media platforms have also taken action. TikTok told the BBC that its guidelines do not allow content that "shows or promotes dangerous activities" or which are "likely to be imitated and that could cause significant physical harm."
Some Indian urban explorers say they have already experienced restrictions. One participant claims Instagram restricted his main account and suspended accounts belonging to some of his friends.
"Zuck (Meta CEO Mark Zuckerburg) doesn't love all this urbex stuff," he joked.
Others say they have received threatening messages online warning them that they could be arrested, kidnapped or seriously injured.
Rules within the community
Interestingly, many urban explorers insist there is an ethical code within the community.
The most common principle is often summarised as: "Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints."
Several explorers interviewed stressed that they do not engage in theft, vandalism or property damage.
This distinction is important to many enthusiasts, who argue that irresponsible behaviour by a few individuals often leads to increased security and restrictions for everyone else.
The community itself is becoming increasingly connected. Dedicated Instagram pages, Discord servers and online groups have emerged where enthusiasts exchange stories, discuss safety and, occasionally, share information about potential locations.
Despite the risks, the explorers interviewed do not view what they do as particularly rebellious. Instead, they frame it as a way of experiencing places that most people overlook. For some, it is about documenting forgotten architecture. For others, it is about adventure. For many, it is a combination of both.
Whether urban exploration is viewed as adventurous storytelling or reckless trespassing largely depends on who is being asked. What is undeniable, however, is that the trend is growing. While the thrill often outweighs safety concerns, they claim the rest can be "handled with money."
The dogs appeared out of nowhere.
Three German Shepherds emerged from the darkness of an abandoned aircraft scrapyard, barking and charging towards a group of young men who had slipped into the property hoping to film videos for social media. For a few frantic moments, all thoughts of adventure disappeared.
"I almost got torn apart," recalls one 20-year-old explorer. "But somehow managed to escape."
A few months earlier, another young man found himself standing before a police officer inside a deserted theatre that had long been sealed off from the public. The officer threatened to take him to the police station. Elsewhere, others have sneaked into abandoned malls, climbed unfinished skyscrapers, wandered through shuttered hospitals.
They are not security guards, real-estate agents or government inspectors. Most are just students. And they are part of a growing online subculture built around entering places most people would never think of visiting. The activity is known as urban exploration, or "urbex" - the practice of exploring abandoned, forgotten or restricted spaces, often documenting the experience through photographs and videos.
Once considered a niche hobby popular mainly in Europe and North America, urbex has quietly gained traction in India.
You can now easily find Indian urbex content creators across social media platforms. The dramatic footage of deserted malls, crumbling factories and unfinished buildings, long-forgotten adventure parks often attract millions of views.
Urbex is dangerous and often involves trespassing, but enthusiasts are driven by thrill, curiosity, and a desire to document forgotten places. Critics view it as risky and illegal, while authorities and social media platforms are concerned about injuries and the promotion of hazardous behaviour.
Yet despite the risks of fines, arrests, accidents and confrontations with security personnel, young Indians continue to seek out these forgotten spaces.
The people interviewed for this story, all of whom are in their early twenties, refused to reveal their names due to privacy concerns and the legal implications associated with urban exploration.
For one 20-year-old explorer, the appeal is simple: adrenaline. "The adrenaline rush and the thrill make us come back to such spots," he told India Today Digital.
His list of explored locations reads like an urban adventurer's checklist: abandoned malls, forgotten residential societies, scrapped aircraft, water parks, hospitals, villas, factories, burnt-down theatres and even the rooftops of active malls.
Another explorer, also 20, sees something deeper in the activity.
"What drew me to urban exploration is the nostalgia, the forgotten time and the lost memories which no one bothers about after forgetting," he said. "The urge of witnessing a crowded and cheerful place go silent and frozen is what keeps me coming back."
For many in the community, abandoned places represent more than empty structures. They are snapshots of another era - spaces where life once flourished but now sit untouched, suspended in time.
The appeal of the forbidden
Urban exploration is of course not new. The practice has existed for decades across Europe and North America, where enthusiasts have documented abandoned subway tunnels, factories, hospitals and military installations. What has changed is the role of social media.
Short-form videos and dramatic visuals have transformed abandoned spaces into compelling content. A crumbling mall or a deserted amusement park can generate far more intrigue online than a routine travel vlog.
Several Indian explorers say the trend has accelerated rapidly over the past year.
"When we started one or two years ago, there was nothing such as urban exploration being discussed openly," says one explorer. "Now it's all over the internet and people are willing to join."
"The only reason we stay anonymous is because first of all, we can't explain to family members and relatives what we're actually doing," says one explorer. "Second, it helps us avoid legal trouble. No face, no case."
Others cite privacy concerns and social judgment.
But the risks are real.
For all the romanticism surrounding abandoned places, urban exploration comes with significant dangers. Many locations are structurally unstable. Floors may collapse. Staircases may be damaged. Sharp debris, exposed electrical systems, broken glass and hazardous materials are common.
Then there are the unexpected encounters like that with German Shepherd guard dogs or security personnel.
"Urban exploration was never safe to start with," shared another explorer. "Every abandoned spot has guards, barricades or fences. We have to be very sneaky and suppress our every possible movement."
Encounters with law enforcement are not uncommon either.
One explorer recounts being caught inside an abandoned theatre by a police officer.
"He was straight up like, 'Let's go to the police station.' He even told us the location was sealed by the High Court," he recalls. "But after talking to him for a while, he understood we weren't doing anything wrong inside the place and let us go."
Another explorer had a more intimidating experience involving personnel from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). "It was a rough time," he says. "But they were convinced that I was just a kid who meant no harm."
A global trend under scrutiny
Authorities and social media companies have increasingly expressed concern that such content may encourage imitation.
Earlier this month, police in Northampton, England, issued a warning about the growing trend: "We're increasingly seeing young people accessing derelict buildings, empty properties and even climbing onto rooftops, often to film content for social media."
Social media platforms have also taken action. TikTok told the BBC that its guidelines do not allow content that "shows or promotes dangerous activities" or which are "likely to be imitated and that could cause significant physical harm."
Some Indian urban explorers say they have already experienced restrictions. One participant claims Instagram restricted his main account and suspended accounts belonging to some of his friends.
"Zuck (Meta CEO Mark Zuckerburg) doesn't love all this urbex stuff," he joked.
Others say they have received threatening messages online warning them that they could be arrested, kidnapped or seriously injured.
Rules within the community
Interestingly, many urban explorers insist there is an ethical code within the community.
The most common principle is often summarised as: "Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints."
Several explorers interviewed stressed that they do not engage in theft, vandalism or property damage.
This distinction is important to many enthusiasts, who argue that irresponsible behaviour by a few individuals often leads to increased security and restrictions for everyone else.
The community itself is becoming increasingly connected. Dedicated Instagram pages, Discord servers and online groups have emerged where enthusiasts exchange stories, discuss safety and, occasionally, share information about potential locations.
Despite the risks, the explorers interviewed do not view what they do as particularly rebellious. Instead, they frame it as a way of experiencing places that most people overlook. For some, it is about documenting forgotten architecture. For others, it is about adventure. For many, it is a combination of both.
Whether urban exploration is viewed as adventurous storytelling or reckless trespassing largely depends on who is being asked. What is undeniable, however, is that the trend is growing. While the thrill often outweighs safety concerns, they claim the rest can be "handled with money."
