‘Possessed by Goddess,’ Odisha woman tries to suck venom out from snakebite patient, hospitalised

In a bizarre incident, a woman in Jhanjhana village under Keonjhar’s Soso police limits fell unconscious and was hospitalised after she tried to suck venom through her mouth from a female snakebite patient who later died.

The whole incident which became the talk of the town, happened on Sunday.

As per reports, Jhunurani Behera from Jhanjhana village was bitten by a venomous snake on Sunday. But instead of taking her to the hospital, her family took her to one Minati Dehury of the same village who claimed to cure her from snakebite as she was possessed by a Goddess.

The superstitious act not only claimed the life of Jhunurani, but it also left Minati ill and unconscious.

Claiming to have divine healing powers, Minati said, “I was possessed by the Goddess. So, I tried to cure her of snakebite by sucking blood from the area where the snake had bitten her.”

“I did not feel anything initially, but after some time, when the Goddess left my body, I felt uneasy, my head reeled and I dropped unconscious on the ground,” she said.

A relative of Minati said, “She (Minati) was possessed by Goddess Mangala. She tried to cure the woman of snakebite, but shook violently and fell unconscious. So we called an ambulance and rushed her to the hospital.”