Murder by snakebite, evidence by Vet Wildlife Forensic expert provide crucial clues

Pashu Sandesh, 31st May 2020

On May 07 a murder of a woman took place in Anchal in the Kollam district of Kerala. What made the murder a piece of sensational news now known as Uthra murder case, was the use of a snake as a murder weapon and also a first in the history of the Kerala Police records, the postmortem of a snake by the Veterinary Wildlife Forensic experts. Police have nabbed the accused Husband and the snake catcher who provided the snake, a Cobra for the purpose. Recently police also found out during the investigation that the woman was given a drink laced with sedatives in the night so that she could not resist or call for assistance. It was the second attempt made on the life of the woman which proved successful. Earlier on 02 May, she was bitten by a Viper used for the same purpose but somehow she survived and Husband could maintain his innocence then. 

What made the incidence worth reporting by the Pashu Sandesh, is the role of two Vets in providing the crucial evidence in the case. Considering the unique nature of the case, the Police took the help of Assistant Vet Surgeon Dr Kishore Kumar and the Thiruvananthapuram Zoological Park Veterinary Assistant Director Dr Jacob Alexander. Dr Jacob is Veterinary Wildlife Forensic expert. Normally the role of the Wildlife Forensic expert is to investigate and collect clues from the poaching cases of wild animals and in this case his services were sought since the murder weapon was a wild snake. Dr Kishore and Dr Jacob conducted the post-mortem at a temporary arrangement set up near Uthra's house.

The fangs and the venomous snake’s remains were collected for more tests. The 1.5-metre-long snake was in a decayed state. The wound on Uthra's left hand and the size of the fangs would be compared. The bottle used to store the snake was found earlier. This bottle would also be examined to find any secretions or scales of the snake. As there are no eyewitnesses in the case, the probe team is trying to collect maximum scientific evidence. The DNA of the snake will be extracted and used for the investigation.

As per Dr Jacob Alexander, “Wildlife Forensic Necropsy is a very interesting and challenging subject in Veterinary science as you need to know a great deal about the various wildlife species and methodology of postmortem investigation to be adopted for species concerned. The importance of the case takes a twist when there is a suspicion of a murder making use of wild animal directly or indirectly”.