It was not quite the kind of passenger anyone expected in the lift of a high-rise society in Noida, but there it was, a cobra, hood flared, writhing on the floor.
Residents of the Golden Palm Society in Sector 168 got the fright of their lives on Sunday when they discovered the reptile lounging in the elevator.
According to witnesses, a few residents had been waiting for the lift when it arrived with the unexpected occupant -- a full-grown cobra. What followed was panic and a frantic call to the society's maintenance team.
Armed with makeshift tools, the society's maintenance staff managed to trap the cobra safely inside a garbage bin. The snake was later released into a nearby open area.
But the encounter has left residents deeply uneasy. The residents said that if a snake can ride the lift, it can go anywhere -- the gym, the lobby, even inside flats. Parents say children are now too frightened to take the elevator alone.
Reports suggest that snakes have been spotted in the society's premises before, possibly slithering in from the green patches nearby.
