Bengaluru, 19 June

A Bengaluru couple was shocked when they noticed a snake in their Amazon package. The snake, suspected to be a spectacled cobra, was stuck in the adhesive tape used for the packaging, said the couple, who had ordered an Xbox controller from the online retail giant.

The couple, IT professionals from Sarjapur who wished not to be named, then made a video which went viral.

An Amazon India spokesperson said on Wednesday that the company is investigating the incident. "The safety of our customers, employees and associates is a top priority for us. We work hard to provide customers with a trustworthy shopping experience and it's our commitment to go above and beyond to make things right for them. We take all customer complaints seriously and are investigating this incident," the spokesperson told PTI.

The couple said they had ordered an Xbox controller recently from Amazon and received a live snake in the package. "The package was directly handed over to us by the delivery partner (not left outside). We live on Sarjapur road and captured the entire incident on camera, plus we have eye witnesses to the same," they claimed in a statement.

"The snake has been identified as a possible spectacled cobra (Naja Naja), a highly venomous snake species indigenous to Karnataka," they said.

The snake was stuck to the adhesive tape and did not harm anyone in our household or apartment, the couple said.

They also said that they received a complete refund, but wondered "what did they get for risking their lives with a highly venomous snake." "This is clearly a safety breach caused solely by Amazon's negligence and their poor transportation/warehousing hygiene and supervision," they alleged.