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Three years on, woman’s snake bite death near Mumbai turns out to be murder
The Thane police have arrested four people including the woman’s husband and his snake-rescuer friend on December 11.
THANE: Three years after a woman from Badlapur died from a snake bite, the police have uncovered that it was in fact a planned murder. The police have arrested four people including the woman’s husband and his snake-rescuer friend on December 11.
The case dates back to July 2022, when Nirja Rupesh Amberkar, was found dead after being bitten by a poisonous snake. At the time, the Badlapur police registered an accidental death report based on statements from her husband and others, who claimed it was a routine snake bite incident.
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According to police, Nirja’s husband, Rupesh Satishchandra Amberkar, 40, allegedly conspired with three friends, Rushikesh Chalke, 25, Kunal Chaudhary, 25, and Chetan Dudhane, 36, a snake rescuer, to kill her by intentionally exposing her to a poisonous snake. The police said that on the night of July 10, 2022, around 10 pm, the accused carried out their plan at the couple’s residence in Ujjwaldeep Apartment, Badlapur East. They later reported it as a snake-bite death.
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The case was reopened after the investigating officer Anukul Donde noted inconsistencies in the accounts of the husband and the other accused. When the accused were called in for detailed questioning, they reportedly confessed, claiming that Rupesh wanted to kill his wife because he felt “mentally harassed” by her in the months following their marriage.
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The police also took the accused to the crime scene at the couple’s residence where they recreated the sequence of events leading to the snake bite. The four accused have been booked under sections 302 (murder), 201 (destruction of evidence), 182 (providing false information) and 120(B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
The police will reveal further details of the case in a press conference to be held today.
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