Cobra pays midnight visit, man dials CM

A resident of Mandi in Himachal Pradesh dialled the chief minister straight, after a super-sized cobra entered his house around midnight.

Oddly enough, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur answered the phone and promised all help. The snake was eventually trapped and released in a faraway forest.

Nipun Malhotra had sensed some creepy movement at midnight. He woke up to a big cobra slithering inside the house.

Panicked, he first called up the state forest and wildlife department for help, but the calls went unanswered.

Malhotra then called up the chief minister who was quick to respond. Jai Ram Thakur promised immediate help. He called up the Mandi deputy commissioner and asked him to respond on priority to help the family in distress.

The deputy commissioner quickly coordinated and sent a snake charmer to Malhotra’s house.

The snake charmer was perhaps the only help that could be requisitioned that moment. But it proved useful. The cobra was caught.

The Malhotra family — which, according to sources, is also known to Jai Ram Thakur — says it is indebted to the chief minister.

Thakur is a first-time chief minister. His wife has roots in Karnataka.