An animal rescuer found a snake hiding underneath a resident's mattress in eastern India's Cuttack.
Sarat Panda called Snake Helpline after he spotted a snake in his house on August 25.
Snake Helpline employees Lalit Mohan Panda and Durga Madhav Mohapatra searched Sarat Panda's house but could not locate the snake.
After sitting on a mattress they saw a quick movement and immediately lifted it to find the 5-foot-long Indian cobra.
Lalit Panda said: "As I sat down to turn on the TV, the snake was right by my side. I was stunned and started shivering in fear."
"It was a lucky escape for both Lalit and the family. Due to heavy rains snakes are trying to find refuge inside houses,” said Subhendu Mallik, General Secretary of Snake Helpline.
The snake was later released in a natural habitat far from the village.
