A family in the village of Todgaon near Ahmednagar in western India was preparing to make dinner on the evening of July 5 when they found an unwelcome visitor: a deadly Russell's viper.

Panicked, they called Wildlife Rescue Society and a team led by Akash Jadhav arrived at the village to rescue the snake.

Unverving footage shows the snake tucked into a corner behind a cooking gas cylinder. As the snake had coiled itself, Akash had to poke the dangerous reptile with a stick. After a few tries, the viper relented and came out from the corner. Akash then coaxed the viper into a bag.

The highly venomous snake was later released deep in a nearby forest.

Akash said: “The snake looked lethargic, but I knew it could still strike fast, so tried to keep a safe distance. This was a snake that could have done damage, and there were a few tense moments during the rescue.”

According to a recent study, an estimated 1.2 million people have died from snake bites in India in the past 20 years.

Russell's vipers, along with kraits and cobras were responsible for most deaths.

The family of Bhaskar Jadhav, a resident of Todgaon village near Ahmednagar in Western India, was preparing to make dinner on the evening of July 5. They found that they had an unwelcome visitor: a Russell’s viper.

Russell’s vipers are a deadly snake which accounts for thousands of deaths in India every year. They can strike up to five feet with lightning speed and inject venom with their long fangs, which can kill or destroy many organs in the body including kidneys.

The family members rushed out in panic and called Wildlife Rescue Society, and a team led by Akash Jadhav went to the village to rescue the snake.

They found that the snake had tucked itself comfortably in a corner behind a cooking gas cylinder.

As the snake had coiled itself, it was too risky to catch it by hand. So Akash poked it with a snake stick and tried to make it uncoil and come out on its own.

After a few tries, the viper relented and came out from the corner. Still catching it was very risky and the unpredictable snake took a few swipes at Akash, who was trying to grab it by its tail.

Akash managed to catch it with Bhaskar Jadhav, the house owner, keeping an anxious watch from outside a window. The snake was released later in a nearby forest.

Akash said: “The snake looked lethargic but I knew it could still strike fast, so tried to keep a safe distance. This was a snake that could have done damage and we did a few tense moments during the rescue.”