Viper used as murder weapon decoy in Meerut was rented from snake charmer for Rs 1,000

NEW DELHI: Krishan, a local snake charmer from Meerut, has found himself entangled in a chilling murder case after revealing he lent a venomous snake to a man for Rs 1,000.

The man, Rajkumar — later identified as the accused in a planned killing — claimed he needed the reptile for a religious event, a jagran.
The snake was allegedly used in a murder that has shocked Meerut. The victim, 25-year-old Amit Kashyap, also known as Mickey, was found dead in his bed in Akbarpur Sadat village with the snake lying nearby.
Initially believed to be a case of snakebite, the truth was far more sinister.
A post-mortem revealed that Amit had been strangled before the snake was placed under his body to mislead investigators. Later questioning led to a stunning confession: Amit's wife, Ravita, and her lover, Amardeep — who was also a friend of the deceased — had plotted the murder.
"My job is to catch snakes and release them into the jungle," Krishan said. "Rajkumar asked for a snake for some time, gave me Rs 1,000, and said he would return it after the jagran. I didn’t know anything else."
The investigation, led by SP Dehat Rakesh Kumar Mishra, found that Amit had discovered his wife's extramarital affair, leading to frequent arguments. To silence him and escape suspicion, Ravita and Amardeep planned the murder, staging it to appear like a fatal snakebite.
Although early reports suggested ten snake bites, forensic analysis confirmed these occurred post-mortem, after the snake was trapped under Amit's body.
(With agency inputs)