WATCH: 'Dead Body' floating in pond turns out to be man taking a nap

The operation to retrieve the “Dead Body” of a man floating in a pond went viral on social media after it took an unexpected turn.

The incident occurred in India’s Telangana when locals found the “body” of a shirtless man floating in a pond.

Following the discovery, authorities were notified who arrived and began an operation to retrieve the motionless man from the waters.

The viral video of the operation showed a cop attempting to grab the shirtless man to get him out of the pond.

As the policeman was hauling the ‘body’ ashore, the man suddenly awakened and turned to face the policeman as locals and officials were caught by surprise.

The man was then seen in the viral video splashing water on his face and offering water to the policeman to wash his hands.

Surprise by his “rescue”, the man was told by the policemen that locals had asked the police get his ‘body’ out of the waters after they found him floating motionless and believed he had passed away.

Reports that the man was laying still in the ponds for about five hours. He told authorities that he was taking a nap in the water to relax after working 12 hours a day.

Local news outlets quoted him as saying, “I wanted to relax for some time and so decided to lie in the water for some time.”

The man, a labourer, denied being intoxicated and had asked the policemen to lend him INR50 so he could buy a ticket to return home.