India | Meerut court sentences woman, lover to death for framing husband's strangulation as snakebite

Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India, October 16 (ANI): Meerut Court on Friday handed down the death penalty to a woman and her paramour for the murder of her husband, a crime they systematically attempted to pass off as a tragic accident involving a venomous snake.

The court sentenced Ravita Kashyap and her accomplice, Amardeep, to death for the murder of Ravita’s husband, Amit Kashyap.

The sentencing comes shortly after the court convicted the duo of murder and criminal conspiracy on October 7.

The case stems from the death of Amit Kashyap, a resident of Akbarpur Sadat village within the limits of the Bahsuma police station in Meerut district, in April 2025.

Amit was initially found dead on his bed inside his residence. Suspicion mounted when a live snake was discovered trapped directly beneath his lifeless body, alongside marks on his skin that appeared to resemble snakebites.

Steering the narrative, Ravita initially claimed to family and authorities that her husband had died after being bitten by the snake while sleeping.

However, the circumstances surrounding the death raised keen suspicion during the initial investigation, prompting a detailed forensic examination.

The post-mortem report fundamentally contradicted Ravita’s narrative, establishing that the cause of death was asphyxia rather than snake venom. Medical evidence submitted during court proceedings revealed that intense physical pressure had been applied to Amit's neck, mouth, and nose.

Crucially, the examination uncovered fractures in both his hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage—conclusive findings that confirmed he had been strangled.

The prosecution established that the accused had killed Amit and strategically placed the live snake under his body to fabricate a narrative of a natural, accidental death.

The overwhelming medical and forensic evidence proved pivotal in breaking the illusion.

Finding Ravita Kashyap and Amardeep guilty of murder and criminal conspiracy, the Meerut court handed down the capital sentence, ordering both to be executed by death for their cold-blooded crime.

Source: ANI, Staff, October 16, 2026

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
— Oscar Wilde

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