Selfie craze: Bengal forest ranger nearly strangled by python because villagers wanted to click selfies with it

A selfie with a python may look amazing and daring. Sanjoy Dutta, a forest range officer in West Bengal, had a narrow escape when an 18 feet long Rock Python almost strangled him, while he was trying to click a selfie with the snake.

The incident took place in Sahebbari village in West Bengal on Tuesday. The villagers saw the reptile swallowing a goat after which they frantically called in for help. Dutta came to rescue.

The forest rangers have been advised to pack snakes in a sack and release it in the forest later, if they find any. But Dutta decided to pose with the python for selfies instead, after rescuing the goat from its grip. The snake weighed almost 18 feet long and weighed 40kgs.

The villagers started clicking selfies with the snake. Dutta also posed, and garnered compliments for his bravery when suddenly the snake started showing some action.

In seconds it the snake started coiling around Dutta's neck. He started moving away from the crowd. Villagers, who moments ago were clicking selfies, started screaming for help as the snake started tightening his grip around Dutta. One person from the crowd, possibly a forest ranger, stepped forward to help when the tail of the snake slipped out Dutta's hand and he almost lost his hold of it.

#WATCH Narrow escape for Sanjoy Dutta, Range Officer of Baikunthapur Forest in Jalpaiguri after a python he rescued from a village almost strangled him to death while he was posing for selfies with locals. #WestBengal pic.twitter.com/KroJHOCOkk

ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2018

While Dutta finally managed to get hold of the snake and not once did let of its neck, the selfie mania could have had fatal results if the situation was not taken charge of at the right time. This is not the first such incident. Selfie craze is the new wide spreading disease in India and has even claimed many lives.

A 26-year-old girl in Maharashtra fought a tiger with a stick and then posted a selfie with her bloodied face that probably needed medical aid first.

In another selfie accident, a man lost his life in Karnataka after falling off a waterfall while trying to click a selfie. He wanted to get a photo with Gokak waterfall in the background when he lost his grip and fell off 170 ft into the water.