India · anonymous SMS
Send an anonymous text to an Indian mobile
Ghost delivers your text to any Indian mobile without showing your number. A standard text costs 2 credits ($0.40), with no subscription, from a browser on any phone or computer or from the Android app. On Indian networks the text arrives from a random short number, not from yours.
What a text to India costs
One SMS segment to an Indian mobile costs 2 credits ($0.40). Plain English or Hinglish written in Latin letters fits 160 characters in a segment. Hindi in Devanagari, and every other Indian script, is sent in 70-character segments, because none of those letters are in the basic SMS alphabet. The rupee sign ₹ is outside it too, so writing Rs keeps a price from shortening your segments. In India the browser sells credit packs in rupees, ₹99, ₹399 and ₹999, paid through Razorpay, and credits never expire.
| Text | Characters | Encoding | Segments | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A short message | 82 characters | GSM-7 | 1 segment | 2 credits ($0.40) |
| A longer message | 275 characters | GSM-7 | 2 segments | 4 credits ($0.80) |
| Hinglish (Hindi in Latin letters) | 113 characters | GSM-7 | 1 segment | 2 credits ($0.40) |
| Hindi (Devanagari) | 70 characters | UCS-2 | 1 segment | 2 credits ($0.40) |
| English, with the rupee sign | 81 characters | UCS-2 | 2 segments | 4 credits ($0.80) |
Rates checked October 22, 2026. Rates for every country
How to type an Indian mobile number
Written locally
9xxxx xxxxx
Type in Ghost
+91 9xxxx xxxxx
- Open Ghost in your browser or the Android app.
- Choose India (+91) in the country list and type the mobile number.
- Write your text, check the credits shown under it, and send.
Choose India, then type the 10-digit mobile number. Indian mobiles start with 6, 7, 8 or 9. If the number is written with a 0 or +91 in front, leave that out: Ghost adds the country code, and typing 91 again is a common mistake. Landline numbers cannot receive texts on this route.
What the person in India sees
- Your text leaves Ghost through its international carrier partner from a US (+1) number. On its way into Indian networks, that sender is replaced with a random short number that starts with 5 and is five to nine digits long, so the person sees neither your number nor the +1 number.
- Texts to India do not start with “GHOST:”. They see only your words, so say who you are if you want them to know.
- Some topics are not allowed on the international route to India: gambling, adult content, loans and money offers, politics, religion, alcohol, cannabis, firearms and controlled substances. Keep the text personal.
- Replying to the short number does not reach you. If you want an answer, switch on a Reply Link: they open it in a browser and send you one reply, still without seeing your number.
Writing a text for India
Hindi is the first language of about 44% of Indians, and many people type it in Latin letters rather than Devanagari. Which script you use decides how much fits in one segment.
Hinglish (Hindi in Latin letters)
Hi, kya aapka scooter abhi bhi available hai? Main Sunday ko Pune mein dekhne aa sakta hoon. Last price kya hoga?GSM-7, 113 characters, 1 segment: 2 credits ($0.40)
Every character here is in the basic SMS alphabet, so Hinglish keeps the full 160 characters a segment.
Hindi (Devanagari)
नमस्ते, क्या फ्लैट अभी भी किराए पर है? मैं शनिवार को देखने आ सकता हूँ।UCS-2, 70 characters, 1 segment: 2 credits ($0.40)
Switched to UCS-2 by: न म स ् त े क य ा फ ल ै ट अ भ ी ि र ए प ह ं श व ो द ख आ ू ँ ।
Devanagari is sent in 70-character segments, and each vowel sign and the final । count as characters. This text fills exactly one segment; one more character would make it two.
English, with the rupee sign
Hi, is the cycle still for sale? I can pay ₹2500 and pick it up tomorrow evening.UCS-2, 81 characters, 2 segments: 4 credits ($0.80)
Switched to UCS-2 by: ₹
The ₹ sign is the only character here outside the basic alphabet, and it switches the whole text to 70-character segments, so this short text costs two. Writing Rs 2500 instead sends it as one.
When people in India keep their number private
Buying and selling on OLX
OLX, which calls itself India’s leading classifieds platform, connects you with strangers about phones, bikes and furniture, and a number you share with one of them stays with them. Ask about the item and agree a price through Ghost, and share your own number only when you are ready to meet.
Renting from owners on NoBroker
NoBroker lists rentals straight from owners, which means texting people you have never met to fix a visit. Ghost lets you ask about rent, deposit and timings first without giving your mobile to every owner you contact.
A note you would rather not sign
Telling a neighbour in your housing society that their car blocks the gate, or that water is leaking from their flat, is easier without a reply thread on your own phone. Keep it polite: the law below looks at what you write, not at whether your number shows.
Indian law on anonymous texts
Sending a text without showing your number is not an offence in itself. Threatening someone with harm to their person, reputation or property is criminal intimidation under section 351 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and section 351(4) adds up to two more years of imprisonment when the threat is sent anonymously or the sender hides their name. Words meant to insult a woman’s modesty (section 79) and repeatedly contacting a woman who has clearly said she is not interested (section 78, stalking) are also offences. Marketing calls and texts are governed by TRAI’s customer preference regulations and the DND register.
Got a text you did not want?
If a text looks like a fraud attempt, report it with Chakshu on the Department of Telecommunications’ Sanchar Saathi portal. If you have already lost money, call the cyber crime helpline 1930 or report it at cybercrime.gov.in. Unwanted marketing texts can be reported to 1909. To stop texts sent through Ghost, add your number on the stop page.
Questions and answers
A text of up to 160 plain Latin characters costs 2 credits ($0.40). Hindi in Devanagari, other Indian scripts, emoji and the ₹ sign use 70-character segments, so they cost more per word. In India you can buy credits in rupees in the browser, and Ghost shows the cost before you send.
A random short number that starts with 5, which replaces the sender on the international route into India. They do not see your number or the US number the text left from, and the text does not start with “GHOST:”.
Not by replying to the short number. Add a Reply Link when you send: they open it in a browser and send you one reply without seeing your number. A Reply Link costs 3 credits plus the reply’s rate and works for 7 days.
No. Choose India and type the 10-digit mobile number, which starts with 6, 7, 8 or 9. Ghost adds +91 for you.
Yes, hiding your number is legal. Threats, stalking and messages meant to insult a woman’s modesty are offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and a threat sent anonymously carries up to two extra years of imprisonment.
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