Uthra Murder Case: Kerala Sessions Court Finds Accused Husband Guilty For Inducing Fatal Snakebite

In a much-awaited move, a Kerala court on Monday convicted Sooraj S Kumar for murdering his wife by getting her bitten by a venomous snake with an intention to kill her. 

The Kollam Additional District and Sessions Court, presided by Justice Manoj M, pronounced its verdict in a one of its kind murder case where the husband threw a starving cobra on his wife while she was asleep to induce her death by snakebite.

The accused was brought before the court with tight security today. The hearing on sentencing will take place on Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Advocate G. Mohanraj led the prosecution in the case with strong scientific as well as circumstantial evidence.   

A postmortem of the snake was conducted to affirm that it was the one that had attacked the deceased and a dummy trial was also carried out recreating the entire incident. 

A renowned snake handler after examining the fang width had thereby testified before the Court that the snakebite found on the deceased's body did not seem natural, and was probably induced.   

The scientific evidence submitted before the court was collected with the help of a team comprising herpetologists, forensic experts, veterinary surgeons and officials from the Forest and Animal Husbandry departments.

Background: 

In a crime that numbed the State, Uthra, a 25-year-old homemaker, was found dead at her home from a snakebite on 7th May 2020. Although initially, attempts were made to dismiss it as a natural snakebite, her family suspected foul play in her death.

The scepticism arose from the fact that the deceased has been repeatedly subjected to harassment from her husband and his family for dowry. They argued that it was impossible for a snake to find its way into a closed air-conditioned room, particularly since the floor was tiled.  

Her family further alleged that the murder was carried out to acquire gold and property.

These suspicions were fortified by the fact that less than nine weeks before the incident, Uthra sustained another near-fatal attack from a viper. She was recovering from the same when her life was claimed by the second snakebite. 

Accordingly, a police investigation followed, and the 1000 paged charge sheet unearthed the elaborate conspiracy planned and implemented by her husband, the accused herein. 

The accused was consequently arrested with another man who helped him procure both the snakes. The handler later turned approver and disclosed that both the snakes were sold for Rs. 10,000 together and that he did not know the purpose behind the purchase.

The accused thereafter confessed to his crime during interrogation and admitted that he had stored two snakes in a jar without feeding them with the intention of killing his wife. 

Later on, his father, mother and sister were also arrested after recovering around 38 sovereigns of Uthra's gold that was found buried in a rubber estate behind their residence.

Case Title: State of Kerala v. Sooraj S Kumar