In Tamil Nadu's Tiruvallur district, two sons face accusations of murdering their father in a plot disguised as a snakebite to claim insurance money. Police have arrested six individuals, including the accused brothers. The case came to light through an insurance company's scrutiny.
On the night of October 22, in Pothatturpettai village near Tiruttani, government school laboratory assistant E.P. Ganesan, 56, was found dead on his bed with marks on his neck resembling a snakebite. His sons, Mohanraj, 29, and Hariharan, 26, told doctors at Podatturpettai Government Hospital that a snake had bitten him while he slept on a cot. He was declared dead on arrival.
Police initially registered it as an unnatural death from an accidental snakebite. However, the family's insurance claim raised red flags. Ganesan was covered under policies totaling Rs 3 crore, with four high-value ones taken in the previous six months, disproportionate to their income. The insurer approached Inspector General Asra Garg, prompting Superintendent of Police Vivekananda Shukla to form a special team led by Deputy Superintendent C. Jaishree.
The investigation revealed a prior failed attempt a week earlier, where a cobra bit Ganesan's leg, but he survived with neighbors' help. On October 22, conspirators used a more venomous Russell's viper or krait, biting his neck three times while he slept to ensure fatality. Accomplices included Balaji, 28, a former colleague; Prashanth, 35, from Manavur; Dinakaran, 43, a snake catcher from Mosur; and Naveenkumar, 28, who handled payments.
The snake was transported in a gunny bag, and Dinakaran killed it post-death to mimic an accident. Mohanraj paid Rs 1.5 lakh—Rs 90,000 via Google Pay and Rs 60,000 in cash—shared among the group. Police analyzed call records, financial transactions, and noted the hospital delay.
Within 10 days, all six—Mohanraj, Hariharan, Balaji, Prashanth, Naveenkumar, and Dinakaran—were arrested, with items like a car, motorcycle, and phones seized. They are in judicial custody, with probes ongoing. IG Asra Garg stated the case was cracked through 'scientific, technical, and field-level investigation.' SP Shukla commended the team's diligence in uncovering what seemed a routine rural tragedy. Such snakebites are common in northern Tamil Nadu's scrub forests, but this was a calculated fraud exploiting that reality.