Sudhanshu Sekhar Das, a fishmonger in Bhubaneshwar, eastern India, was trying to start his moped bike on September 29 when he felt a cold object brush against his leg: a cobra, over 2.5 meters long hiding in his toolbox.

"The man was lucky to spot the snake on time. It could have bitten him when he opened the toolbox or could have met with an accident had he spotted the cobra while riding," said a snake expert, Subhendu Malik.

Sudhanshu Sekhar Das, a poor fishmonger near Bhubaneshwar in eastern India, was trying to start his moped bike on September 29 when he felt a cold object brush against his leg.

When he looked down, he saw the tail of a snake disappearing into the tool box of his vehicle.

He called Snake Helpline for rescue and a volunteer, Biranchi Narayan Acharjya, went to the spot.

He opened the tool box but was unable to see the snake. But after he cleared the tool box and poked inside with a stick, a 2.5 feet long spectacled cobra emerged.

He caught the snake and released it in a natural habitat.

Subhendu Mallik, founder of Snake Helpline, said: "The man was lucky to spot the snake on time. It could have bitten him when he opened the tool box or could have met with an accident had he spotted the cobra while riding."