In a horrific murder case, an Indian man was sentenced to life imprisonment on Wednesday for using a cobra and another snake to kill his wife, which the prosecution described as "one of the rarest cases." Prosecutors stated that Suraj Kumar released a highly venomous Russell's viper on his wife, who spent about two months in the hospital receiving treatment. While she was recovering at her parents' home, the 28-year-old husband obtained a cobra from a snake trainer and threw it at his wife while she was asleep. The bite from the venomous cobra led to the death of the 25-year-old woman.
Suraj pleaded not guilty to the charges, but police reported that his phone records indicated he had been in contact with snake trainers and watched videos about snakes online before killing his wife in March of the previous year in Kollam, in the southern state of Kerala. Prosecutors pointed out that Suraj stayed in the room with his wife, Outhra, after she was bitten by the cobra and continued his morning activities the next day when the woman's mother informed him of what had happened.
The prosecutor, who requested the death penalty, stated, "The method of committing the crime and the diabolical plan the defendant followed to kill his bedridden wife categorize it as one of the rarest cases." According to the Hindustan Times, snake trainer Vava Suresh reported that Suraj might have "caused pain to the snake to provoke it into biting."
Outhra came from a wealthy family, whereas her husband, who worked at a bank, was not well-off. The woman's father grew suspicious when Suraj attempted to claim her possessions after her death. Reports indicated that Suraj’s family was accused of conspiracy after some gold items belonging to Outhra were found buried near Suraj's home days after her murder.
