A case of snake-bite death in Tamil Nadu's Tiruvallur district has now been exposed as a murder, allegedly planned and executed by the victim's own sons to claim large life insurance payouts. The case, first believed to be an accidental death, unravelled after an insurance company flagged suspicious claims, leading to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe.
56-year-old E P Ganesan, a government school laboratory assistant, was found dead at his residence in Pothaturpettai village in October, with the family reporting a fatal snake bite. A police case was initially registered, treating the death as accidental.
However, while processing insurance claims, an insurance company raised doubts over the circumstances of the death, citing multiple high-value policies taken out on Ganesan and the conduct of the beneficiaries. The insurer alerted the Inspector General of Police, North Zone, Asra Garg (IPS), prompting a deeper investigation.
"The sons had insured their dad for nearly three crore rupees," Superintendent of Police, Tiruvallur, Vivekananda Shukla said.
According to investigators, the sons conspired to murder their father by staging his death as a snake-bite accident and enlisted accomplices to procure live venomous snakes. An earlier attempt was made about a week before the death, when a cobra was arranged and made to bite the victim's leg. However, the plan failed as the bite did not prove fatal.
Determined to carry out the crime, the conspirators escalated the plan. On the day of the offence, a highly venomous krait snake was brought into the house during the early hours and deliberately made to bite the victim on the neck - a fatal location. After the bite, the snake was killed inside the house to strengthen the impression of an accidental snake intrusion and to eliminate evidence.
Investigators also noted an unexplained delay in shifting the victim to the hospital, which further corroborated the theory of a planned killing rather than a genuine medical emergency.
Six persons, including Ganesan's two sons and four facilitators who arranged the snake and staged the scene, have been arrested in connection with the case. Further investigation is underway.
