A Snake Helpline employee removed an aggressive cobra from an eastern Indian resident's bathroom fan.

Footage filmed on September 14 in Bhubaneswar shows Biranchi Narayan Acharjya using a hook to lure the snake out from the fan.

The homeowner Nihar Ranjan Barik had called the helpline after he saw a small tail hanging out of the fan. He first thought it was a lizard until he heard a hissing noise.

Acharjya was able to catch the cobra, which was later released in a safe place.

Subhendu Malik, the founder of Snake Helpline, said: "Cobras are good climbers and this snake might have crawled up the iron pipes from outside. A cobra inside a washroom is a perfect nightmare."

Nihar Ranjan Barik, a resident of a village on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar in eastern India, saw a small tail popping out of the exhaust fan in his washroom on September 14.

He thought it was a house lizard and tried to shoo it away and the ‘lizard’ responded with an angry hiss.

He called Snake Helpline and a volunteer, Biranchi Narayan Acharjya, went to his home and pried open the covering case of the exhaust fan.

As soon as Biranchi removed the cover, a four-feet long cobra attacked him with a raised hood.

But the rescuer, who was alert, managed to distract the cobra and took it out with the help of a snake hook. He put it inside a bag and released it in a natural habitat later.

Subhendu Mallik, founder of Snake Helpline, said: "Cobras are good climbers and this snake might have crawled up the iron pipes from outside. A cobra inside a washroom is a perfect nightmare."