In Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, 27-year-old Amit was strangled to death in his home on April 12 after returning from a family temple visit. His wife, Ravita (35), and her 19-year-old lover, Amardeep, allegedly plotted the murder following marital disputes caused by the discovery of their six-month affair. Amardeep purchased a non-poisonous horse snake for ₹1,000 to stage the death as an accidental snake bite. Upon entering the home at night while Amit slept, Ravita allegedly became fearful that the snake might bite her or her children, prompting the pair to manually strangle Amit first. They then released the snake onto the cot, allowed it to bite his body, and recorded video evidence to stage an accident. However, postmortem findings established strangulation prior to the snake bites, leading to the arrest of both Ravita and Amardeep.
Country: India
State/Province: Uttar Pradesh, India
City/Region: Meerut
Incident Type: Domestic Violence Homicide
Relationship Status: Married
Relationship Duration: 8 years
Incident Date: April 12, 2024
Relationship Origins:
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How the relationship or connection began.
8 years
Important relationship phases recorded for this case.
Reported red flags or early concern points.
Contributing factors and possible motives from the available sources.
2024-04-12
Recorded relationship or case outcome.
English labels are shown first. Original-language titles are preserved for source verification.
Infidelity
The case illustrates a classic domestic escalation pattern where an extramarital affair leads to severe marital discord, physical altercations, and an orchestrated homicide. When the victim discovered the secret relationship on his wife's phone, repeated violent confrontations broke out within the household. Fearing ongoing physical abuse and unable to secure a divorce, the wife and her lover planned a staged homicide using a live snake to evade detection, which ultimately escalated into direct physical strangulation when the staging plan hit an immediate snag.
Police initially responded to a reported snake bite incident after family members found a live snake wrapped around the victim's cot. Postmortem medical examination proved critical, conclusively establishing that Amit died from physical strangulation prior to any snake bites. Further investigation revealed that the snake was a non-venomous horse snake purchased for ₹1,000, entirely disproving the accidental venomous bite narrative. Both Ravita and Amardeep confessed in police custody.
Initial appearances created temporary confusion because a live snake was present on the victim's bed with visible bite marks on the body and a mobile video was recorded to frame the death as an accident. However, family members immediately raised doubts about the snake bite narrative due to recent violent disputes between the victim and Amardeep, and the autopsy confirmed asphyxiation by strangulation.
The timeline connects six months of secret affair between Ravita and Amardeep, culminating in Amit's discovery of their communications. Five to seven days prior to April 12, Ravita and Amardeep plotted the homicide and purchased a non-poisonous horse snake. On April 12, following a family trip to Shakumbhari temple, Ravita summoned Amardeep once Amit fell asleep. Unwilling to risk the snake biting herself or her children, Ravita and Amardeep manually strangled Amit while holding his hands and mouth. They subsequently released the snake onto his corpse to bite him and recorded video to fabricate an accident scene.
Prior physical fights, threats, weapon usage/belt beatings, and violent confrontations weeks before the homicide served as severe warning signs. The failure to seek law enforcement intervention or legal separation heightened situational risk, enabling the offenders to move from ongoing conflict to a cold-blooded murder plot.
Staged accidental deaths involving biological hazards or animals can be quickly dismantled by formal postmortem exams and forensic toxicology. Unresolved domestic violence and severe infidelity disputes remain primary indicators for potential lethal escalation.
Frequent arguments, mobile phone monitoring, and a major physical fight between Amit and Amardeep 20 days prior were primary early indicators of escalating danger.
Postmortem evidence showing manual strangulation, combined with the snake charmer's confirmation that the snake was non-venomous, directly exposed the staged nature of the crime.
The forensic autopsy report confirming death by strangulation before snake bite marks, confession statements from both suspects, and testimony regarding the snake purchase served as the primary evidence.
Amit's mother stated that she saw the victim sleeping after drinking milk and later witnessed her grandson discovering the body wrapped in a snake. She immediately told bystanders and police that her son had been killed and the snake released intentionally.
Follow-up investigative interviews and forensic findings completely shifted the case from a reported snake bite accident to a premeditated homicidal conspiracy.
It remains unclear whether any sedatives or narcotics were mixed into Amit's milk prior to the attack, though his mother suspected he had been drugged.