A case in connection with the deaths of a woman and her daughter on October 7, which was initially recorded as deaths caused by snake bites, has now turned out to be a murder case.
The deceased woman’s husband has been arrested for killing his wife and daughter in a planned way by releasing a poisonous snake into the room where they were sleeping.
The heart-wrenching incident was reported from Adheibara village under Kabisuryanagar police limits in Ganjam district. The incident has become a matter of discussion in the town.
According to a source, three years ago, K Ganesh Patra, a resident of Adheibara village, married Basanti Patra of the same village. He allegedly doubted his wife Basanti’s fidelity. He then allegedly hatched a plan to eliminate her and their daughter. As per his plan, he bought a cobra (Kolathia Naga) from a snake charmer and released it into the room where his wife and daughter were sleeping.
The duo was then reportedly bitten by the snake. Later, they were rushed to Hinjlicut government hospital where they were declared brought dead.
While, prima facie it appeared to be a snake bite death case, the deceased’s father lodged a complaint against his son-in-law, accusing him of killing his daughter and granddaughter.
On the basis of the complaint, the police had launched a probe. During investigation, the police zeroed in on K Ganesh Patra, the deceased woman’s husband. He was later arrested.
However, Patra denied the allegation. “My father-in-law has implicated me in a false case of killing his daughter by using a snake,” said Patra.
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“I have two daughters. Three years ago, my second daughter married K Ganesh Patra. Falling in love with his sister–in–law (brother’s wife), he started harassing her. He had also applied for a divorce. When I filed a case under Section 498, the divorce was stalled. He eventually eliminated her. He killed her by releasing a snake into their room,” said B Khali Patra, father of the deceased woman.
When contacted, Kabisuryanagar police station IIC, Prabhat Kumar Sahu said, “On that night, the family members killed the snake and rushed the duo to hospital where they were received dead. The post-mortem report also pointed out the cause of the deaths as snake bites. We launched our probe on the basis of the allegations of the deceased’s father. During investigation, we came to know that he (K Ganesh Patra) had procured the reptile from a charmer. The charmer will also be interrogated.”