Playing with a snake and shooting a video with it proved to be fatal for a 55-year-old man in India from Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur district as he was bitten by the reptile, eventually leading to his death, The Times of India reported.

The victim, a farmer, was identified as Devendra Mishra, a resident of Jaitipur area in Shahjahanpur. He was also a former village head of Maruajhala village.

Locals said that Mishra was popular in the area for rescuing snakes and had caught more than 200 snakes in the village in the past. The snake with which he was shooting the video, was caught from his neighbor Ravindra Kumar's house. An eyewitness said that after catching the snake, believed to be the highly venomous Common krait, Mishra had "started showing off and went around the village with the snake wrapped around his neck." In fact, in the video, he is also seen putting the snake around the neck of a five-year-old girl as well.

Mishra was bitten by the snake nearly an hour after he caught it, local villagers told TOI. He thereafter started treating himself using herbs, but subsequently succumbed to the poison. Meanwhile, the snake, which was kept under a utensil by Mishra, was also found dead a few hours later.

Mishra is survived by his wife and five sons.