FORENSIC REPORT

Date: 12/05/2022

In the Matter of: uthara vs kerala

Subject: Kerala snakebite murder

Case Enquiry/ DD/ FIR no.: 0204/2021

Officer name and details handing over the evidence: 

PW71 Dr. Sasikala, the Head of Department of Forensic Medicine, Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, PW63 Dr. Kishore Kumar, the Veterinary Surgeon of Animal Husbandry Department, PW19 Mavish Kumar, and PW51 Muhammed Anwar, conducted a detailed on the spot study of the circumstances and submitted Ext P21, report. PW52 Vava Suresh has also testified regarding the behaviour of Cobra and Viper snakes.

Summary of the case:

The Kerala snakebite murder was a unique case in which Uthra, a twenty-five-year-old lady, was killed by a snakebite while she was sleeping on May 7, 2020. She was at her parents' house in Anchal, Kerala, in South india

Uthra was a differently-abled young housewife with a one-year-old son. She had been married for two years. Uthra was healing from a previous Russell's viper bite, which she had received two months before at her husband's home near Adoor, and was staying with her parents while she recovered. She was bedridden for 52 days as a result of the viper bite, and she had to undergo plastic surgery to heal the damage

When her mother came to summon her in the morning, she was found unconscious in her bedroom at her parents' house. She had apparently been bitten by a snake during the night of May 6, 2020. The next day, Uthra died 7 may 2020 A huge Indian cobra was discovered in her and her husband's bedroom.

Uthra's mother, Manimegalai, claims that she, her daughter, and Sooraj went to bed after dinner. Sooraj, who is generally a late riser, awoke unusually early the next morning and walked outside. Uthra, on the other hand, did not wake up at her customary time. Uthra was found unconscious in her room by her mother. The room was later examined, and the snake was found and killed.

Detailed report of the Evidence examined:

To prove that Uthra died of a deliberate snakebite, the investigative team gathered evidence and brought in experts from several professions, including snake catchers.

"Normally, 150-centimetre-long cobras can cause wounds that are 1.7 cm deep, but the lesions in the Uthra snakebite case were 2.3 cm and 2.8 cm deep." The cops later discovered that applying external pressure on the snake's head can enhance the wound depth. Sooraj scoured YouTube for information on viper and cobra behaviour, according to the investigating team. This was a  piece of proof.

"It was a challenging case." However, the investigators worked hard to examine forensic medicine, cyber data, animal DNA, and other evidence. This was one of the few instances in which an accused was declared guilty only on the basis of circumstantial evidence.

Sooraj's elaborate plan to assassinate Uthra included using a cobra. He had killed her with a viper a few months before employing a cobra to murder her in May 2020. She had been bitten by a viper at Sooraj's residence, but she was well. Uthra's parents filed a police report after suspecting foul play, and the case was eventually solved.

Nature of examination and test conducted: 

The dummy experiment was carried out by a police team lead by a former rural SP in July of last year. The one-of-a-kind experiment was carried out since every piece of evidence was vital in the case. The experiment was carried out at the Forest Department's State Training Institute. The court received video footage of the experiment as well as paperwork from the police team. The cops utilised a fake that weighed the same as Uthra. A slice of chicken was connected to the dummy's hand in this experiment. The snake was made to bite the meat in order to determine the depth of the wound. This procedure could explain the difference between a wound generated by a natural snakebite and a wound caused when the snake is forced to bite the victim.

Opinion: 

The motivation was monetary. Sooraj would have lost the dowry and rights to her property if he divorced Uthra or got rid of her in any other way. As a result, he devised a scheme to make her death appear natural.

Examine And Written BY:

Ms.  Sneha