Nellore, January 27: The craze for a selfie with a snake claimed the life of a youth in Andhra Pradesh. The incident occurred in Kandukur town of Pottisriramulu Nellore district. Manikantha Reddy, who runs a juice shop in the town, tried to take a selfie with a snake but lost his life to the snake’s bite.

According to a report in TOI, a  snake charmer came to the juice shop and informed Manikantha that he has snakes, which were harmless as their fangs had been removed. Following which, he requested the snake charmer to let him take a selfie with the snake. Tamil Nadu Shocker: Man Bitten by Poisonous Snake During Rituals on Astrologer's Advice, Loses Tongue in Erode.

The youth took selfie by wearing the snake around his neck. When he placed the snake around his neck, it slipped and fell, so the snake charmer again placed it on Manikantha. Since the snake did not harm the snake charmer, Manikantha also tried to touch it with his hand, but the snake bit on his right hand. The snake catcher along with Manikantha managed to catch the snake. Chhattisgarh Shocker: Snake Bites Minor Boy in Jashpur, He Kills Reptile By Biting It Back (Watch Video).

However, when Manikantha asked about the snake bite, the snake charmer assured him saying that it is a harmless snake as its fangs were already removed a day ago. Though the locals shifted him to the Ongole-Government General hospital, he breathed his last in early hours of Wednesday. The accused snake charmer is in police custody now. Police have registered a case and are investigating.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 27, 2023 10:40 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).