Kerala woman’s death after second snake bite turns out to be a murder

The woman’s husband, along with two accomplices, have been held by the authorities.

The death of a young Kerala woman, who suffered two snake bites in a span of two months, turned out to be a well-planned and executed murder, said Kerala police which probed the case after the deceased woman’s father filed a complaint alleging foul play.

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The shocking incident has got all ingredients of a crime thriller, said a senior official who was part of the investigating team.

The crime branch said the woman’s husband, along with a local snake handler and another accomplice, was arrested in connection with the murder. S Uthra (25), a resident of Anchal in Kollam district, had suffered a second snake bite while she was undergoing treatment for the first. The woman’s parents had filed a police complaint against her husband and in-laws alleging foul play a week after her death.

According to the police, the incident took place on May 7. Though many eyebrows were raised, the husband dodged the police and filed another complaint against her brother saying it was his doing to usurp the family property. Initially, it was a viper bite and the second time it was a cobra that proved fatal for Uthra. The woman suffered the first snake bite while at her husband’s house in March and the second one at her family house on May 7.

The crime branch said the woman’s husband, Sooraj, who worked at a private bank, had brought a snake from Suresh, a local snake handler of the area after paying Rs 10,000. According to the officials, Sooraj took the snake to the house and reportedly let it loose in the bedroom.

“It is a strange case. Three persons are in our custody. Since the investigation is on we can’t reveal details now,” said Kollam rural police superintendent S Harishankar.

They said he was planning her murder for the last five months and the first bite was also part of his design to do away with her.

In their complaint, the parents said Uthra had gone to bed with her husband, in the morning she was found unconscious. She was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors said she died of a snake bite. When the room was examined, a big cobra snake was found which was later killed by Sooraj. The husband denied noticing the snake or witnessing any commotion.

The parents alleged that their daughter was harassed quite often for dowry. They also said some ornaments that they presented during the wedding were missing from the locker. The couple was married two years ago and have a one-year-old son.

According to the parents, the couple slept in an AC room and it was difficult to believe that Sooraj failed to notice the snake. The parents said their daughter was at the family house since she was undergoing treatment for the earlier bite. They also alleged that some snake handlers of the area were in touch with their son-in-law.