Wife, lover drug man, release snake to kill him for Rs 20 lakh insurance money
Police in Meerut have arrested a woman, her alleged lover and two others over the death of her husband, initially reported as a snakebite. Investigators say the case points to a carefully planned murder tied to an affair and insurance money.
Four people, including a woman and her alleged lover, have been arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut district over the death of her husband, which was initially reported as a snakebite case but was later found to be an alleged murder, police said on Saturday.
Police said the victim, Atul Panwar, was allegedly killed as part of a conspiracy hatched by his wife Damini, her alleged lover and two others. Investigators said Panwar was seen as an obstacle to the relationship, while the accused also allegedly planned to claim his life insurance money.
Panwar, 35, and Damini had a love marriage in 2019 and lived in Hastinapur, where they ran Krishna Kids Public School. Senior police officer Abhijit Kumar said Panwar was taken to the Community Health Centre in Hastinapur on Friday morning after Damini claimed he had been bitten by a snake at their home. Doctors, however, declared him dead.
A snake was found on Panwar's bed, but his family suspected foul play, prompting police to launch an investigation. The body was sent for a post-mortem, while investigators examined Damini's call detail records and other technical evidence. Police said they became suspicious at an early stage because the circumstances at the scene and the snake's behaviour did not appear consistent with a typical snakebite case.
The probe revealed that Damini had been in frequent contact with Tushar alias Nikki, a driver at the school. During questioning, police said, it emerged that the two were in a relationship and had conspired to kill Panwar.
According to Kumar, Panwar was first given an overdose of sleeping pills mixed in milk on Thursday night, leaving him in a deep sleep. Police alleged that Tushar, with the help of two associates, Sonu and Uday Kumar, then brought a snake into the room and released it into Panwar's blanket, causing the reptile to bite him, leading to his death.
Police said the investigation also found that Panwar had a life insurance policy worth around Rs 20 lakh. Sonu and Uday were allegedly promised Rs 5 lakh each after the insurance money was received.
During interrogation, police also found that around 20 days earlier, Tushar had allegedly tried to kill Panwar by hitting him with an Ertiga car, but he survived because he was wearing a helmet. Police further alleged that Damini had discouraged Panwar from filing a complaint over the incident.
Investigators also recovered a photograph of a snake from Tushar's mobile phone, police said. The snake recovered from the house has been sent for examination, while mobile phones and other electronic evidence have been sent for forensic analysis as part of the ongoing investigation.
Police have arrested Damini, Tushar, Sonu and Uday Kumar. The case, which initially appeared to be a death caused by snakebite, has now turned into an alleged murder conspiracy involving the victim's wife, her alleged lover and two others, police said.
Four people, including a woman and her alleged lover, have been arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut district over the death of her husband, which was initially reported as a snakebite case but was later found to be an alleged murder, police said on Saturday.
Police said the victim, Atul Panwar, was allegedly killed as part of a conspiracy hatched by his wife Damini, her alleged lover and two others. Investigators said Panwar was seen as an obstacle to the relationship, while the accused also allegedly planned to claim his life insurance money.
Panwar, 35, and Damini had a love marriage in 2019 and lived in Hastinapur, where they ran Krishna Kids Public School. Senior police officer Abhijit Kumar said Panwar was taken to the Community Health Centre in Hastinapur on Friday morning after Damini claimed he had been bitten by a snake at their home. Doctors, however, declared him dead.
A snake was found on Panwar's bed, but his family suspected foul play, prompting police to launch an investigation. The body was sent for a post-mortem, while investigators examined Damini's call detail records and other technical evidence. Police said they became suspicious at an early stage because the circumstances at the scene and the snake's behaviour did not appear consistent with a typical snakebite case.
The probe revealed that Damini had been in frequent contact with Tushar alias Nikki, a driver at the school. During questioning, police said, it emerged that the two were in a relationship and had conspired to kill Panwar.
According to Kumar, Panwar was first given an overdose of sleeping pills mixed in milk on Thursday night, leaving him in a deep sleep. Police alleged that Tushar, with the help of two associates, Sonu and Uday Kumar, then brought a snake into the room and released it into Panwar's blanket, causing the reptile to bite him, leading to his death.
Police said the investigation also found that Panwar had a life insurance policy worth around Rs 20 lakh. Sonu and Uday were allegedly promised Rs 5 lakh each after the insurance money was received.
During interrogation, police also found that around 20 days earlier, Tushar had allegedly tried to kill Panwar by hitting him with an Ertiga car, but he survived because he was wearing a helmet. Police further alleged that Damini had discouraged Panwar from filing a complaint over the incident.
Investigators also recovered a photograph of a snake from Tushar's mobile phone, police said. The snake recovered from the house has been sent for examination, while mobile phones and other electronic evidence have been sent for forensic analysis as part of the ongoing investigation.
Police have arrested Damini, Tushar, Sonu and Uday Kumar. The case, which initially appeared to be a death caused by snakebite, has now turned into an alleged murder conspiracy involving the victim's wife, her alleged lover and two others, police said.
Four people, including a woman and her alleged lover, have been arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut district over the death of her husband, which was initially reported as a snakebite case but was later found to be an alleged murder, police said on Saturday.
Police said the victim, Atul Panwar, was allegedly killed as part of a conspiracy hatched by his wife Damini, her alleged lover and two others. Investigators said Panwar was seen as an obstacle to the relationship, while the accused also allegedly planned to claim his life insurance money.
Panwar, 35, and Damini had a love marriage in 2019 and lived in Hastinapur, where they ran Krishna Kids Public School. Senior police officer Abhijit Kumar said Panwar was taken to the Community Health Centre in Hastinapur on Friday morning after Damini claimed he had been bitten by a snake at their home. Doctors, however, declared him dead.
A snake was found on Panwar's bed, but his family suspected foul play, prompting police to launch an investigation. The body was sent for a post-mortem, while investigators examined Damini's call detail records and other technical evidence. Police said they became suspicious at an early stage because the circumstances at the scene and the snake's behaviour did not appear consistent with a typical snakebite case.
The probe revealed that Damini had been in frequent contact with Tushar alias Nikki, a driver at the school. During questioning, police said, it emerged that the two were in a relationship and had conspired to kill Panwar.
According to Kumar, Panwar was first given an overdose of sleeping pills mixed in milk on Thursday night, leaving him in a deep sleep. Police alleged that Tushar, with the help of two associates, Sonu and Uday Kumar, then brought a snake into the room and released it into Panwar's blanket, causing the reptile to bite him, leading to his death.
Police said the investigation also found that Panwar had a life insurance policy worth around Rs 20 lakh. Sonu and Uday were allegedly promised Rs 5 lakh each after the insurance money was received.
During interrogation, police also found that around 20 days earlier, Tushar had allegedly tried to kill Panwar by hitting him with an Ertiga car, but he survived because he was wearing a helmet. Police further alleged that Damini had discouraged Panwar from filing a complaint over the incident.
Investigators also recovered a photograph of a snake from Tushar's mobile phone, police said. The snake recovered from the house has been sent for examination, while mobile phones and other electronic evidence have been sent for forensic analysis as part of the ongoing investigation.
Police have arrested Damini, Tushar, Sonu and Uday Kumar. The case, which initially appeared to be a death caused by snakebite, has now turned into an alleged murder conspiracy involving the victim's wife, her alleged lover and two others, police said.
