A 25-year-old Indonesian man has been found dead inside the belly of a 7m-long python in Jakarta, according to a local media report. The father of two had been missing since Sunday. Salubiro Junaidi, the village secretary, said on Wednesday that the search party found scattered palm oil fruit, a picking tool and a boot, and then spotted the engorged 7m-long reticulated python.
"People had heard cries from the palm grove the night before Akbar was found in the snake's stomach," Junaidi told The Straits Times.
The tribunsulbar.com reported that the boots of the man, who has been identified as Akbar Salubiro, clearly visible in the python's stomach when it was sprawled out next to the garden. The villagers cut open the snake's belly using a large knife and revealed the body of the missing man inside it.
Several video footages that were circulated online showed the horrifying site of the corpse being removed slowly from the killer reptile as the leathery skin is peeled away.
"He was found in the location of the garden. Initially Akbar set out from his home to go to harvest palm. After not returning to his home, people looked for him," Satriawan, Akbar's neighbor said.
Tribun Timur reported that Akbar's wife, Munu, was away at the time and found out only when pictures and videos emerged in the news.
"When the snake was captured, the boots Akbar was wearing were clearly visible in the stomach of the snake. Residents cut open the belly of the snake and Akbar was lifeless," Junaidi added.
According to reports, reticulated pythons, which are the longest snakes in the world, suffocate their victims before swallowing them whole. The jaws of a python are connected by very flexible ligaments so it can stretch around large prey.