- Deepak Mahabar, a snake catcher in Madhya Pradesh, died from a snake bite
- He was bitten while carrying a rescued snake on his motorcycle after school pickup
- Mahabar initially improved after treatment but died during hospital care the next day
It was a phone call like hundreds he had received over the years - about a snake entering a home, shop or a residential area. Deepak Mahabar, a resident of Katra Mohalla in Raghogarh, Madhya Pradesh, was informed on Monday afternoon that a serpent had entered a house in Barbatpura, a locality in Raghogarh.
He rushed to the scene, captured the snake, but also realised that his son's school day was ending. The 42-year-old belted the rescued snake around his neck and set off on his motorcycle to pick him up. Returning home with the snake still on his shoulders, it bit him on the hand. The next morning, Mr Mahabar died in a local hospital.
A video shared by Mr Mahabar's friend, obtained by NDTV, shows him seated on a bike with the snake wrapped around his neck, moments before the fatal bite.
After the bite, Mr Mahabar managed to call a friend for help. He was taken first to the local hospital in Raghogarh and then referred to the district hospital in Guna for advanced treatment. By evening, his condition appeared to be improving, and he returned home.
His health took a sudden turn for the worse later that night.
His family rushed him back to the hospital, where he died during treatment around 4 am on Tuesday. His body was handed over to the family following a post-mortem.
Mr Mahabar worked as a snake catcher with JP University and was widely known in the region for voluntarily responding to distress calls. For over a decade, he caught and released hundreds of snakes into the wild, never accepting payment for his efforts.
“He would always respond when someone called about a snake,” his friend told NDTV. “That's exactly what happened this time. He went, caught the snake, and while returning home, it bit him on the moving bike.”
“He got better in the evening, then deteriorated again during the night,” the friend added. “The snake bit him around 12 or 1 in the afternoon, and he died around 4 am.”
Police have registered a case and launched an investigation.
