• The two brothers brought a venomous snake to their father’s house
• The killing was motivated by obtaining an insurance payout of $360,000

An incident suspected to be a snake bite turned into a murder case after the investigation into E. P. Ganesan’s death in the village of Butatorpitay, Tiruvallur district, India, on October 22.

The police announced that they had arrested the deceased’s two sons and four other individuals after it was revealed that they had deliberately released a “Indian Krait” snake to bite the man in order to claim the insurance money, according to authorities.

The police stated that the deceased, Ganesan, was a laboratory assistant at a government higher secondary school for girls in Butatorpit.

On October 22, he was found dead in his home, apparently from a snake bite.

Based on a complaint from his son Mohanraj (26), the police initially recorded the case as an accidental death.

The course of the case changed after the insurance company noticed irregularities in the claims submitted by the family and raised concerns about the actions of the deceased’s children.

Subsequent investigations revealed that the family had taken out multiple loans and arranged insurance documents worth 3 crore rupees (about $360,000), which the police considered excessive compared to their known sources of income.

It was found that Mohanraj and his brother Harieharn (27), an employee at a private company, conspired to kill their father to obtain the insurance money.

The police clarified that the brothers enlisted Blaji (28), Prashanth (35), Dinakaran (43), and Navinkumar (27), all from the village of Manavur near Tiruttani, to carry out the crime as an accidental incident.

They noted that a previous attempt using a cobra about a week earlier had failed. On the day of the incident, another snake was brought into the house and made to bite Ganesan on the neck during the early morning hours.

The snake was then killed inside the house, and the victim’s transfer to the hospital was delayed, according to the police.

Analysis of call logs and financial transactions, including suspicious transfers, helped establish the existence of a conspiracy.

All six accused have been arrested, and the investigation is ongoing.