An employee of Oriental Rubber Company in Pune in Western India went to find an old file in a little used room of the building on July 30.

As he was searching for the file in a cabinet, he saw an adult cobra on the floor staring at him. The employee fled the room and the office made a call to snake rescuer Saidas Kusal, who went with his team to catch the snake.

Kusal went through the racks and found that the cobra had parked itself behind a large package that perhaps offered a dark and cosy refuge.

He caught the snake quickly and released it in the wild later. The security guards who worked close to the room were happy to see it go.

Kusal said: “The room was cluttered up and opened to a fairly large garden. I told them it was like inviting a snake to come and build a nest.”