Man Arrested for Killing Wife and Daughter with Venomous Snake

Police in the Ganjam district of Odisha have arrested a 25-year-old man for allegedly killing his wife and two-year-old daughter by releasing a venomous cobra snake into their bedroom. The incident took place on October 7 in the village of Adheibara.

According to the police investigation, there was marital discord between the accused, K Ganesh Patra, and his wife, K Basanti Patra, which might have led to the tragic incident. The couple had been married since 2020 and had a daughter together. Basanti had previously filed a complaint against her husband under The Dowry Prohibition Act, but they had reconciled and were living together again for the past three months.

Despite appearing to have reconciled, Ganesh had planned to kill his wife. On September 26, he obtained a SIM card in his father’s name and used it to contact snake charmers in the area to acquire a venomous snake. He claimed that he needed the snake for worship at a Lord Shiva temple.

A snake charmer named Basanta Acharya provided Ganesh with a cobra on October 6. Ganesh hid the snake in their home and, during the night, released it into the middle room where Basanti and their daughter were sleeping. The accused then closed the doors to the room with the intention of having the snake bite his wife.

In the morning, Ganesh created a commotion, attracting the attention of neighbors and Basanti’s father. The mother and daughter were rushed to the nearest hospital but were pronounced dead on arrival. A postmortem confirmed that they died from snake bites.

While the case initially appeared to be a snake bite incident, the police launched a probe based on Basanti’s father’s complaint, accusing his son-in-law of killing his daughter. The snake charmer, who was unaware of Ganesh’s plan, is not implicated in the case.

The police are considering taking action against the snake charmer under forest laws. The investigation is ongoing, and further details are awaited.