AMROHA: Under the influence of liquor and provoked by fellow villagers, a man in UP's Amroha district swallowed a live snake he found on the roadside.
However, four hours later, Mahipal Singh, 40, fell sick and died due to poisoning. A video of him playing with the snake went viral on social media.
According to locals, Mahipal, a labourer, was drunk when he saw a snake alongside the road and picked it up. A few people gathered there provoked him to play with the reptile and started recording the incident on their mobiles.
WATCH: Drunk UP Man plays with snake before swallowing it alive
Mahipral got encouraged by the attention from the onlookers and hid the tiny snake in his palm and then put it on his head. One of the onlookers then instigated him to put it in his mouth, which he went to do.
“He started vomiting but the snake didn’t come out,” said a local. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but died after four hours. He is survived by his wife, a son and three daughters.
Police have taken note of the incident and are scanning the viral video where Mahipal is seen playing with the snake.
“We are trying to ascertain if he was provoked or not. His family has not approached us so far,” Rajbpura kotwali station house officer Dharmendra Singh said.