Meerut Court Sentences Couple to Death for Murder Disguised as Snakebite
Death Sentence for Murder in Meerut
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Meerut, Oct 16: A Meerut court has handed down the death penalty to Ravita and her partner, Amardeep, for the murder of her husband, Amit Kashyap, which they attempted to pass off as a snakebite incident.
This ruling follows a similar verdict earlier in the week, where another court sentenced Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla to death for the gruesome murder of her husband, Saurabh Rajput, in 2025, where his dismembered body was found in a drum.
In the current case, the defendants participated in the proceedings via video link from prison and were found guilty on October 7.
Additional District Judge Jaiveer Singh Nagar presided over the case, which involved a conspiracy to murder Kashyap and mislead both his family and law enforcement by placing a snake on his body.
The tragic event occurred in Akbarpur Sadat village, located in the Bahsuma police jurisdiction of Meerut district. On April 13, 2025, Kashyap's body was discovered on his bed, with a snake positioned beneath him. Initial examinations revealed approximately ten snakebite marks, leading his family to believe he had succumbed to a snakebite.
However, when the family opted for a post-mortem, Ravita reacted aggressively, opposing the examination. The autopsy later indicated that no snake venom was present, and Kashyap had actually died from suffocation.
This revelation raised doubts about the nature of his death, prompting a police investigation into potential foul play.
During the inquiry, authorities scrutinized the post-mortem findings and the call records from Ravita's phone. It was discovered that she and Amardeep, a friend of her husband, had communicated 51 times within a day of the incident.
Initially, Ravita provided misleading information during police questioning, but she eventually confessed to her affair with Amardeep. Investigators learned that her husband had frequently threatened her due to his suspicions about the relationship.
Evidence suggested that the murder plot had been devised prior to the incident. Just a day before Kashyap's death, Ravita had returned from a visit to the Maha Shakumbhari Devi Temple in Saharanpur with her husband and children, where she had performed a religious ritual.
Despite her social media posts portraying a happy family life, investigators alleged that she and Amardeep had planned the murder immediately after their return from the temple.
To stage the killing as a snakebite, the couple purchased a snake from a snake charmer for Rs 1,000, claiming it was for a religious ceremony. They then placed the snake on Kashyap's bed to create the illusion of a snakebite death.
On April 16, 2025, Kashyap's brother, Monu, filed a complaint against Ravita and Amardeep at the Bahsuma police station. The police completed their charge sheet within 60 days of the murder.
The court reviewed the case over a span of 551 days, conducting 87 hearings and hearing testimonies from over 12 prosecution witnesses, who provided crucial evidence regarding the circumstances of Kashyap's death and the alleged conspiracy.