Missing farmer eaten by python as body found inside 23-foot snake

The body of a missing Indonesian man was discovered inside a massive 23-foot python in a shocking discovery which left his entire village reeling.

Akbar Salubiro, 25, disappeared on March 26, 2017, on the island of Sulawesi after heading out to harvest palm oil. In a disturbing development, authorities reported finding an enormous snake they believed had consumed the man, the BBC reported.

The creature was a reticulated python, the world’s longest snake species. Disturbingly, police footage captured the moment the snake was cut open, exposing Akbar’s fully clothed remains inside.

The snake would have asphyxiated its victim before consuming him entirely. Such attacks on humans by these snakes are uncommon, however.

Mashura, a police spokesperson in West Sulawesi province, informed BBC Indonesian that local residents alerted authorities after Akbar had been unaccounted for 24 hours, reports the Daily Star.

Officers launched a search operation and located the snake close to the family’s palm plantation.

A local resident said: “They didn’t find him (Akbar), but the villagers saw an unmoving python in the ditch. They grew suspicious that maybe the snake had Akbar. When they cut it open, Akbar was inside the snake,”.

Village secretary Salubiro Junaidi informed The Jakarta Post: “People had heard cries from the palm grove the night before Akbar was found in the snake’s stomach.

“When the snake was captured, the boots Akbar was wearing were clearly visible in the stomach of the snake. Resident[s] cut open the belly of the snake and Akbar was lifeless.”

Nia Kurniawan, from Brawijaya University, explained that a python of this magnitude would typically prey on large animals and primates.

These snakes are believed to reach lengths of up to 32 feet and are frequently regarded as sacred creatures in certain regions of Indonesia and Southeast Asia.

In 2018, the body of a mother-of-two was found inside a 23 foot-long python in Indonesia. Wa Tiba’s remains were coated in slime and were only discovered after the snake’s distended body was cut open.

The 54-year-old had not returned home following an afternoon gardening trip, prompting concern from her family.

Wa’s sons made the horrifying discovery after finding the massive python with an enormously swollen belly, barely capable of movement on the ground, just meters from bushes where her sandals lay.