Karnataka: Associate professor acquitted in wife's snake bite murder case

Udupi: Providing relief to the 43-year-old doctor and six others, the Sessions Court has acquitted them from charges of killing the former's wife near Hebri in Udupi district in 2010 by injecting her with snake venom and trying to pass it off as an accidental death.

On Friday, the judge passed an order acquitting all seven following the failure of the prosecution to prove their argument with proper evidence.  

The doctor has been identified as Dr Suresh Prabhu, a resident of Hebri and an associate professor at Government Medical College in Hassan. 

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He was married to 32-year-old Bhagirathi for ten years but he was not on good terms with her. The incident goes back to 2010 when Dr Suresh was travelling with his wife at night from Hassan to Hebri, and their car had a flat typre at Tenkola near Belanje village. while he was changing the tyre, his wife without notifying him went to the side of the road to enjoy the environment. 

Suddenly, Suresh heard his wife screaming and rushed to find that she had been bitten by some poisonous creature on her left sole. He carried her back to the car, tied a string above the bite, and took her to the nearest nursing home.

As per The Hindu report, Doctors at a nursing home in Hebri had directed him to take her to District Government Hospital in Udupi where she was declared dead. However, the brother of Bhagirathi, NV Kumar, had filed a complaint with the police accusing Suresh of killing his sister. He then approached the then Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, who appointed Ganesh M. Hedge as the investigating officer.

The couple had a daughter who was eight years old at the time of Bhagirathi's death. Suresh was accused of conniving with six others to hatch a conspiracy to kill Bhagirathi. 

All six were arrested and charged with offenses punishable under Sections 302, 120 (B), and 201 of the Indian Penal Code.

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