Wife, lover murder husband, stage it as a snakebite death

A man asleep on a cot in his home on a quiet Sunday morning, a live Russell's viper coiled beneath him, and multiple snakebite marks on his body—it looked like a tragic accident.

- Deepak Lavania

MEERUT: But when police dug deeper, the quiet village of Akbarpur Saadat in Meerut unravelled a story of betrayal, planning, and murder.

Amit Kashyap alias Mikki, 25, was allegedly strangled by his wife, Ravita, and her lover, Amardeep, who then planted a venomous snake under his body to pass off the murder as a fatal snakebite, police said on Wednesday.

The killing bears disturbing similarities to the sensational March 2025 murder of 29-year-old merchant navy officer Saurabh Rajput, who was allegedly killed by his wife Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla by mixing sedatives in his food.

Later, police say they stabbed him and dismembered his body, stuffing parts into a drum. That murder too unfolded in Meerut and was marked by a secret affair, meticulous planning, and an attempt to erase evidence.