Video: Drunk Driver Threatens Cop With 'Dead' Snake In Hyderabad

Things took a wild turn during a routine drunk-driving check in Hyderabad late Saturday night when an intoxicated auto-rickshaw driver allegedly tried to scare off the police by waving a presumably dead snake at them.

The traffic police officers stopped the driver after suspecting him of being under the influence of alcohol in the Old City's Chandrayangutta area. A breathalyser test of the driver confirmed their suspicion, with a reading of 150, well above the legal limit. A case was registered against him, and his three-wheeler was seized. 

As soon as the police asked the driver to take out his belongings from the vehicle, he suddenly took out the dead snake and tried to threaten him, demanding not to register a case and release his auto. 

In a viral video circulating on social media, he is seen approaching a traffic police officer, uncoiling the snake from his wrist, and waving it in front of the officer's face.

Drunk Driver Threatens Cop With 'Dead' Snake In Hyderabad pic.twitter.com/AgCmUqXFTT

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Startled, the officer shoved him away, and the driver returned to the road, wrapping the snake around his wrist once again. Amid the chaos at the checkpoint, voices in the background can be heard asking, "Yeh asli hai?" (Is it real?)

To avoid any risk of harm, officers prioritised crowd control, during which the driver managed to flee the spot along with his auto and the snake. 

The incident comes amid heightened security checks by Hyderabad police during the New Year period. On New Year's Eve, authorities charged a total of 2,731 drivers for drunk driving across the three commissionerates: 1,198 in the Hyderabad police commissionerate, 928 in Cyberabad, and 605 in Rachakonda (Malkajgiri).