New Delhi: Passengers aboard the Jan Shatabdi Express between Bhopal and Jabalpur were alarmed when a snake was discovered among the overhead luggage, media reports said.

West Central Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Harshit Shrivastava confirmed to PTI that the incident, which occurred two days ago, is under investigation.

The train cleaning area has since been sanitised, and workers have been alerted.

The Railway Protection Force is probing the matter from multiple angles, including the possibility of an outsider releasing the snake inside the coach.

This is not an isolated incident. On October 21, a live snake was found in an AC 2-tier coach of the Vasco-da-Gama Weekly Express traveling from Jharkhand to Goa.

Passengers spotted the reptile near the curtains of a lower berth and recorded videos. IRCTC staff immediately captured and removed the snake.

In September, a snake was found coiled around an iron bar supporting the upper side berth of the Garib Rath Express travelling from Jabalpur to Mumbai.

Earlier in April, a passenger on the Madurai-Guruvayur Passenger Express was reportedly bitten by a snake and had to be hospitalized after alighting at Ettumanoor station.

These incidents have raised safety concerns, prompting railway administration to take precautions and enhance vigilance on train operations.