An unusual incident was reported from Bihar where a snake bit a man, who then bit the reptile back in the belief that it would reverse the venom’s effect. The snake died, while the man was rushed to a hospital where he survived with proper medical treatment, the Times of India reported.

Here’s what happened

Railway employee Santosh Lohar was part of a team laying railway tracks in a thickly-forested part of Rajauli in Bihar. On Tuesday night, after a full day’s work, the 35-year-old railway worker was settling down to sleep when he was bitten by a snake.

Lohar reacted quickly by seizing the snake and biting it back twice, believing the local myth that biting a snake back will save the victim. In parts of the country, it is a common belief that when a snake bite victim bites the reptile back, the venom transfers back to the snake.

Lohar, luckily, was surrounded by colleagues who immediately rushed him to Rajauli subdivision hospital. Times of India reported that the 35-year-old was treated by Dr Satish Chandra Sinha. He was kept overnight in the hospital and discharged the following day.

Dr Sinha said he responded well to treatment. It is not clear what kind of snake attacked the railway employee.

In India, around 50,000 people are killed every year due to snakebites. Around 90% of the estimated 3-4 million snakebites annually are attributed to the “big four” group of snakes - the common krait, Indian cobra, Russell’s viper and saw scaled viper.