Husband, 27, ‘who failed to kill his wife by releasing a viper into her bedroom’ is arrested for her murder after ‘throwing a cobra at her when she got out of hospital’

  • Police in Kerala, India, said phone records showed man had been in contact with serpent handlers
  • He got hold of highly venomous Russell's viper in March which bit his wife Uthra
  • He obtained a cobra and threw it at his sleeping wife when she was recuperating at her parents' house this month 
A man has been arrested for allegedly murdering his wife by letting loose a cobra in her room after first failing with a viper, police said on Monday. 
Police in the southern state of Kerala, India, said phone records showed Sooraj, 27, had been in contact with serpent handlers and had also watched snake videos on the internet. 
Sooraj got hold of a highly venomous Russell's viper in March which bit his wife Uthra and left her in hospital for almost two months, police official Ashok Kumar said.  
Sooraj has been arrested for allegedly murdering his wife Uthra by letting loose a cobra in her room after first failing with a viper, police said on Monday
Sooraj has been arrested for allegedly murdering his wife Uthra by letting loose a cobra in her room after first failing with a viper, police said on Monday
Uthra was still recuperating at her parents' house earlier this month when Sooraj obtained a cobra from a snake handler and threw it at his sleeping wife.  
A police statement said: 'Sooraj stayed in the same room as Uthra as if nothing had happened. 
'He was going about his morning routine the next day when he was alerted by Uthra's mother's screams.'  
Sooraj had bought the snakes from a snake-catcher from Kalluvathukkal
Sooraj had bought the snakes from a snake-catcher from Kalluvathukkal
It added: 'They took her to the hospital where the doctor said she had died.'    
Uthra's parents became suspicious when Sooraj tried to secure ownership of his wife's property just days after her death.
She was from an affluent family, but Sooraj -- who worked in a private bank -- was not so well off.
Sooraj obtained a cobra from a snake handler and threw it at his sleeping wife Uthra when she was recuperating at her parents' house earlier this month
Sooraj obtained a cobra from a snake handler and threw it at his sleeping wife Uthra when she was recuperating at her parents' house earlier this month 
The couple had a one-year-old child.
Police said the marriage had involved a huge dowry comprising nearly 100 gold coins, a new car and some 500,000 rupees (around $20,000) in cash.
"Sooraj feared that divorcing Uthra would mean giving back all the dowry. That's when he decided to kill her," the police statement said.
The snake provider was also arrested, it added.

No comments:

Powered by Blogger.