Death Sentence For Meerut Woman And Lover Who Strangled Husband And Planted Live Snake To Stage Snakebite

A Sessions Court in Meerut has sentenced a 28-year-old woman and her 20-year-old lover to death for strangling her husband and planting a live snake beside his body to fake a reptile bite.

Additional Sessions Judge Jaiveer Singh Nagar classified the case under the "rarest of rare" category, citing the calculated premeditation and the attempt to conceal the murder in a cinematic style. The death sentence remains subject to confirmation by the Allahabad High Court. Both convicts also received a seven-year rigorous imprisonment term under Section 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for destroying evidence.

The Crime And Investigation

The case dates back to April 2025, following a domestic dispute between Ravita and her husband, Amit. Investigators established that Ravita was in an extramarital relationship with Amardeep. On the night of April 12, while Amit was asleep, the pair strangled him.

The following morning, family members discovered Amit's body on a cot with a live snake left beside it. While relatives initially suspected a natural reptile attack, noticeable injury marks on the victim's neck prompted a hospital visit. Medical examiners confirmed that Amit died of asphyxia due to strangulation, revealing fractured hyoid bones and thyroid cartilage.

Procuring The Reptile

During the trial, the prosecution presented call-detail records establishing frequent communication between the accused. Investigators also traced the snake to a local handler.

Testifying before the court, a local snake charmer confirmed that Amardeep paid him ₹1,000 to obtain a snake under the pretext of a religious gathering. Prosecutors argued that purchasing the reptile specifically to stage the crime scene demonstrated pre-planning and intent to mislead investigators.

Court Observations On Rarest Of Rare

Rejecting arguments against capital punishment, the sessions court emphasized that the betrayal of trust and cold-blooded execution shocked the societal conscience. The bench observed that the perpetrators exploited the safety of a home to commit the murder without giving the victim any chance to raise an alarm.

"The crime falls within the category of rarest of rare, and there is no scope for any other possibility," the court noted in its 127-page judgment, adding that the attempt to frame the homicide as a natural wildlife mishap added a layer of extreme depravity.