A chubby monitor lizard rampaged through an apartment and hid inside a resident's car engine.

The 6ft-long reptile climbed the property's fence and tried entering a room when people saw it in Phetchabun province, Thailand on May 26.

It then hid under a parked sedan and entered the engine from underneath.

The animal refused to come out of the vehicle so the car owner called the rescue team for help.

Apartment owner Busabong Sricham, 52, said: ‘I saw the monitor lizard jumping across the fence into the dorm and later entered a room. Then it ran to hide in the car's engine so she decided to wake the car's owner up.'

When the rescuers reached the dormitory, the owner led them to the car which was owned by Muangman Loymek, 32. Later, the rescuers opened the car's bonnet hood to find the monitor lizard hiding in the car's engine.

The creature seemed aggressive and made threatening screeches to they use pole to catch it. After about 20 minutes, the lizard's neck had been secured in a noose and taken for release into the wild.

Relieved car owner Muangman Loymek, 32, said: ‘I arrived early in the morning when I heard a commotion outside. I just hope that this monitor lizard encounter would bring me luck.'