12 Kolkata: Panic gripped a household in Barasat, North 24-Parganas on Sunday when a non-venomous rat snakewas found hiding inside the indoor unit of their split air-conditioner machine. Tapas Baidya, a private firm employee and resident of Nawpara, said he heard a strange crackling sound on Saturday night when his daughter turned on the AC."When we looked closely at the unit, we saw the snake's face peeking out," Baidya told TOI. When AC service technicians couldn't coax the reptile out of the unit despite repeated efforts to release pressure on Sunday, the family informed the forest department. Though the snake had tightly coiled itself within the unit, forest department team managed to extract the snake, which escaped later. A forest officer said the snake might have entered the unit in search of food, mostly lizards and insects. The officials recovered its skin from the unit.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Mother's Day wishes, messages, and quotes !