"then unleashed the cobra on him."
An Indian woman is believed to have had a snake fatally bite her boyfriend so that she could be with her new lover.
It is reported that four other people are involved in the murder plot.
The matter came to light when the body of 30-year-old businessman Ankit Chauhan was found inside his car in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani on July 15, 2023.
Police discovered that carbon monoxide was coming from the car’s AC and this was initially believed to be the cause of Ankit’s death.
However, a post-mortem revealed that a fatal snake bite had caused his death.
Police soon launched an investigation.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nainital Pankaj Bhatt said:
“On July 15, trader Ankit Chauhan was found dead in his car… the police took his body into custody and sent it for postmortem examination, which suggested that he died due to snake venom.”
Officers spoke to the victim’s sister Isha, who accused Mahi Arya and Deep Kandpal of murdering him.
CCTV footage and call records backed up Isha’s claims and officers eventually arrested a snake charmer named Ramesh Nath.
He revealed that the victim and Mahi were in a relationship but she was cheating on him with Deep.
She was reportedly dissatisfied with Ankit’s intrusive presence in her life and wanted to be with Deep.
Ramesh explained that Mahi approached him, seeking his help to have one of his snakes fatally bite Ankit to make his death look like an accident.
Mahi is believed to have paid Ramesh Rs. 10,000 (£95) and even had sex with him in a bid to convince him to help her.
Mahi, Deep and her two domestic helpers then set about ensuring that the poisonous cobra bit Ankit.
SSP Bhatt said: “We tracked the call records of the woman from where we found the contact of a UP-based snake charmer Ramesh Nath.
“His number was put on surveillance, and he was arrested from UP on Monday.
“During interrogation, he revealed that the woman, her friend Deep Kandpal and her two helps hatched the conspiracy of kill Chauhan, by unleashing a cobra on him.
“Initially, the police thought that the death was an accident maybe due to excess of carbon monoxide in the closed vehicle.
“But after the post-mortem report, the police changed the course of the investigation.
“We found that the incident took place on July 14, when Chauhan visited Mahi’s home.”
“The four other accused were present at the scene… they probably made him drink alcohol or some other substance which made him unconscious and then unleashed the cobra on him.”
An FIR was registered against the five suspects under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.
Ramesh was arrested, however, the four others have gone on the run.
SSP Bhatt added: “The snake charmer told police that Chauhan used to abuse the woman in an inebriated condition which is why she took the extreme step.
“The four accused will be arrested, we are tracking their mobile phones to trace their locations, but their phones are switched off.”
It is reported that Mahi and her lover have fled to Nepal.
Loading ...