Man kills wife using snake to bite her in Kerala: Police
Kollam: In a chilling plot, a man allegedly killed his 25-year old wife by letting a cobra bite her in her sleep near here early this month with police cracking it following suspicions raised by her family as it was the second time she suffered a snake attack in three months.
Police said after investigations by the crime branch they arrested Sooraj, a private bank employee from Adoor in Pathanamthitta district, and a snake-catcher who supplied the cobra and a Russell's viper, both highly poisonous, on charges of killing the woman.
Parents of the woman had approached the police saying there was something suspicious about the death of their daughter on May 7 as barely a couple of months ago she had survived a snake bite.
The couple were married for around two years and some financial angle was suspected behind the shocking killing, police said adding Sooraj had received 98 sovereigns of gold jewellery as dowry.
"One guy who provided the snakes and the husband who initially attempted to kill his wife with a poisonous snake and later succeeded in killing her in the same manner have been arrested," Kollam police chief K S Hari Sankar told mediapersons here on Sunday.
Police found digital evidence on the man's mobile phone using which he had been watching snake-related videos on YouTube since the last three months, apparently to get trained in handling them, he said.
Police said Sooraj bought Russell's viper from Suresh and on March 2 he attempted to kill his wife at their house in Adoor using thesnake.
The woman was hospitalised and discharged on April 22 after which she had returned to her parent's home in Anchal in Kollam district.
Sooraj once again contacted Suresh and purchased an Indian cobra and on May 6 night he had dropped it on his wife while she was sleeping.
"He watched the snake bite her twice. On May 7 morning, he got out of the room as usual and her mother found her unconscious," police said, quoting his interrogation.
She was declared dead on arrival at a hospital while the snake found in the room was later killed.
Police said the snake catcher had been involved in illegal trade of the reptiles and the forest department which has been informed will file a separate case.
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Rupee falls 11 paise to 94.27 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated 11 paise to 94.27 against US dollar in early trade on Monday driven by persistent dollar demand and a broader shift toward safe-haven assets.
Forex traders said the Indian rupee has hit a rough patch, falling for five consecutive sessions, weighed down by a combination of factors such as the RBI loosening its grip on currency rules and rising oil prices caused by global tensions.
Moreover, investors are becoming cautious again, with foreign institutions pulling money out of the market after a brief period of buying amid rising geopolitical uncertainty.
At the interbank foreign exchange market the rupee opened at 94.25 against the US dollar, then lost some ground and touched 94.27 against the US dollar in initial trade, registering a fall of 11 paise over its previous close. On Friday, the rupee had settled at 94.16 against the American currency.
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Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was down 0.09 per cent at 98.44.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 1.16 per cent at USD 106.55 per barrel in futures trade.
A mix of softer economic signals and renewed, even if fragile, hopes of diplomacy pulled the dollar lower again, CR Forex Advisors MD Amit Pabari said, adding that for Rupee, on one hand, a softer dollar offers relief. On the other, uncertainty remains the dominant force.
Meanwhile, India’s forex reserves have crossed USD 703 billion as of April 17, reflecting a consistent build-up of buffers.
"For now, the rupee continues to lean toward gradual weakness. Uncertainty remains the dominant force, shaping both global flows and local reactions," Pabari said.
He further noted that any dips are likely to be bought into, with the 92.80–93.20 zone acting as a strong support. On the upside, 93.50 to 94.50 is expected to define the near-term range.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 518.96 points or 0.68 per cent higher at 77,183.17, while the broader Nifty was trading up 131.30 points or 0.55 per cent at 24,029.25.
Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth Rs 8,827.87 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
