In a horrific incident in Odisha's Ganjam, the mother and daughter who died of snakebite were found to be murdered by the husband of the woman who purposefully released a snake into their room. According to the police, the 25-year-old accused brought a cobra in a plastic jar and released it inside the room where his wife was asleep with their two-year-old daughter to kill them.
It was on October 6 that 23-year-old K Basanti Patra and her toddler Debasmita were found dead with multiple snakebites in Adheigaon village in Ganjam's Kabisurya Nagar area. The police initially registered an unnatural death case, but the heinous plot behind the crime came to light when they interrogated Basanti's husband K Ganesh Patra and his father.
According to Ganjam Superintendent of Police Jagmohan Meena, Ganesh Patra having hand in the murder of his wife and child was confirmed by the investigation team, but the arrest was delayed as they wanted to gather solid evidence against him.
Ganesh and Basanti tied the knot in 2020, but cracks developed in their relationship lately, news agency PTI reported cops as saying. This marital dispute with his wife led to Ganesh Patra committing the brutal act, they added.
The accused got the snake from a snake charmer, convincing him that he needed the cobra for a religious purpose. He was able to release the snake into the room as the couple slept in separate rooms.
"During interrogation, he initially denied the allegation and later claimed that the snake might have entered the room on its own. But he confessed that he committed the crime," SP Jagmohan Meena told PTI.
