Month after wife, child die of snake bite, man arrested for murder
BERHAMPUR: In a bizarre culmination of events, a 25-year-old man ended up in police net after investigation revealed he used a venomous snake to kill his wife and minor daughter last month.Ganjam police arrested the accused, K Ganesh Patra on Thursday and charged him with murder. Patra is a native of Adheibara village under Kabisuryanagar police limits.
On October 7 night, Ganesh’s wife Basanti (20) and their two-year-old daughter were found lifeless in their house. Police registered a case of unnatural death and post-mortem confirmed the death due to snake bite.
However, Basanti’s father B Khali Patra alleged the deaths to be a planned murder and sought a thorough investigation. Since there was a history of marital discord between the couple, Ganjam SP Jagmohan Meena ordered a detailed probe into the case.
Investigation revealed that Ganesh had procured a poisonous snake from a snake charmer and released it into the room in which his wife and kid were sleeping on the fateful night which led to the tragic incident. Police also tracked down the snake charmer, stitched up the events and collected necessary evidence.
Probe revealed that Ganesh married Basanti in 2020 and they had a daughter. However, the couple had marital discord which escalated and the wife lodged a complaint with Kabisuryanagar police against Ganesh on October 23 last year.However, counselling and intervention of elder members of the two families led to resolution of the matter. The couple was staying together again since the last three months.
Police said, Ganesh had other things on his mind. He prepared a plan to eliminate Basanti in such a way that would make the death look accidental. He purchased a SIM card in the name of his father on September 26. Using the new number, he called several snake charmers to procure a poisonous snake.
“He claimed he needed the snake for the purpose of worship at Lord Shiva temple. On October 6, a snake charmer Basanta Acharya rescued a venomous reptile from a house at Bhaiga Sahi of Kodala and handed over that snake in a plastic jar to Ganesh,” Meena informed.
Ganesh took that snake home. On the fateful night, he slept in a separate room while Basanti was in another room with her daughter. At about 2 am, the accused released the snake into that room which led to the tragic incident.
After interrogating several persons, police tracked down Basant who admitted to supplying the snake to Ganesh for puja purposes, Meena said. During interrogation, the accused confessed to the crime. His mobile phone was seized and voice call recordings to the snake charmers were also retrieved.