Kerala snakebite murder was a case in which the victim, Uthra, a twenty-five-year-old woman, was killed by a snakebite inflicted while she was asleep on 7 May 2020. She was in her parents' home in Anchal, located in the South Indian state of Kerala.
Her husband, Sooraj S. Kumar, a twenty-seven-year-old bank employee, was arrested. Later, he confessed to the public media that he purchased a cobra, and introduced the snake into their bedroom, with the intention of killing his wife. Kerala Police produced strong scientific evidence that supported a charge of murder. In Kollam sessions court, on 13 October 2021, Sooraj S. Kumar was found guilty of killing his wife by forcing a live cobra to bite her. Judge M. Manoj sentenced him to 17 years imprisonment plus double life imprisonment and a monetary penalty of 5 lakh () rupees.
Incident
Uthra was a disabled young housewife who had been married for two years, and was the mother of a one-year-old son. At the time, Uthra was recovering from a previous Russell's viper bite, inflicted on 2 March 2020, two months prior at her husband's home near Adoor, and she was living in her parents' home during her recovery. The viper bite caused her to be completely bed-ridden for around 52 days, and she had to undergo plastic surgery to repair the damage.
She was found unconscious in her bedroom in her parents' home when her mother called on her in the morning. It appeared that she had been bitten by a snake during the night of 6 May 2020. Uthra died the next day, 7 May 2020. A large Indian cobra was found in the bedroom that she shared with her husband.
According to Uthra's mother, Manimegalai, her daughter and Sooraj went to bed after dinner. The next morning Sooraj, usually a late riser, woke up unusually early and went outside. However, Uthra didn't wake up at her usual time. Her mother went into her room and found Uthra unconscious. Later, the room was searched, and the cobra was discovered and killed.
Complaint and evidence
One week after his daughter's death, Uthra's father, Vijayasenan, contacted police, stating that he suspected foul play in his daughter's death. He filed a complaint on 21 May to Kerala Police, calling it an unnatural death. Her parents stated that, because Uthra and her husband were sleeping in an air-conditioned room, it would have been difficult for the cobra to enter the room without being detected.
Uthra had already informed her parents about Sooraj Kumar's expertise in handling venomous snakes. Approximately two months prior to her death from the cobra bite, Uthra had been bitten by a Russell's viper. The combination of the two incidents caused police to suspect Sooraj Kumar's involvement in this case.
Noted snake expert Vava Suresh took interest in the incident. After visiting both homes, he recommended that Uthra's family contact the police. Later, Vava Suresh gave his expert testimony and statement to the police. In the first snakebite incident, he said that a Russell's viper would have been unable to reach the second storey room in her husband's home, where Uthra received the first snake bite. In regards to the second, fatal bite, Vava Suresh also noted that it would have been difficult for the cobra to enter the air-conditioned room in Uthra's parents' home unaided. He surmised that the cobra may have been "hurt", as a means of forcing it to bite the sleeping woman.
Discovery and arrests
The police arrested the victim's husband, Sooraj, as the prime suspect and arrested the snake catcher Chavarukavu Suresh Kumar as a second suspect in the case. On 12 July 2020, Sooraj made a public confession about the murder. He stated that he bought two snakes for ₹10,000 each (US$135), from Kumar.
According to the police, Sooraj admitted that he gave "sleep-inducing pills" to his wife in order to sedate her before releasing the snake. He confessed that he had starved the cobra for eleven days to ensure that the cobra would bite his wife. The snake "was kept in a bottle without being fed" from 24 April to 6 May.
The investigating team reported that Uthra was attacked twice, first with a viper and then with a cobra. The Kerala police's special investigation team (SIT) stated that Sooraj would be the primary person accused and that another case would be registered against him, his mother, father and sister for domestic violence and destroying evidence. The State Women's Commission also urged the police to arrest the family members.