THANE: A full-grown Indian rock python-about 11 feet long and weighing nearly 40 kg-was rescued from Thane around 3.30 am on Saturday. A traffic cop, Dnyaneshwar Shirsath, was part of the team that rescued the snake outside the entrance of Wood Park Complex, a housing colony, on Ghodbunder Road.

The cop's mentor, Chandrakant Kangralkar, who is an animal lover and his team reeceived a distress call soon after the snake was spotted slithering in a leisurely manner. "Soon after the snake was spotted, a rumour did the rounds that the reptile was an anaconda. It caused much panic," said Shirsath.

A guesstimate by snake lovers put the reptile's age around 30 years, but this could not be verified.

The snake was picked up and stuffed into a jute bag within minutes. "It took the entire team to lug it as it was a bit too bulky," said Shirsath.

It is assumed that the python had crawled out of the national park which abuts Thane. "Often, after rains, they struggle to find a safe habitat," Kangralkar said.

The snake was released in a forest patch on Sunday.