An Indian man convicted of killing his wife with a cobra and snake in her sleep has been sentenced to a rare sentence by a Kerala court, according to a report in Al Jazeera English.

The man was sentenced to life imprisonment twice, in what prosecutors described as a "rare" case.

Prosecutors in the southern state of Kerala said Suraj Kumar, 28, shot a highly venomous snake called Russell, leaving her in hospital for nearly two months.

While she was recovering at her parents' home, he got another cobra from a snake herder and threw it at his sleeping wife, which led to the 25-year-old's death in May 2020.

for the pony

Kumar was arrested from his home last year, after the wife's parents raised suspicions, alleging that their daughter was harassed for more dowry, and adding that Kumar tried to take control of her property after the death.

A court in Kollam district of Kerala state on Monday sentenced Kumar for the murder and poisoning of his wife, and a previous attempt to kill her with a "Russell" snake.

Local media reported that Judge M Manoj had sentenced the culprit to life imprisonment twice, but did not accept the prosecution's demand for the death penalty given his age and opportunity for reform.

diabolical plan

Kumar has pleaded not guilty, but police said his phone records showed he had been in contact with a snake herder, and had watched videos of snakes online before the killing.

"The accused's diabolical plan to kill his wife, who was bedridden, makes it one of the rarest cases," said the prosecutor, who had demanded the death penalty.

The Hindustan Times reported that snake herder Vava Suresh said it was possible that Kumar had "caused pain to the cobra to get it to bite".

The victim - called "Uthra" - was from a wealthy family, but her husband - who works in a bank - was not well off.

Their marriage included a large dowry, including a new car and 500,000 rupees (about $6,640).

conspiracy accusation

According to media reports, Kumar's family was accused of conspiracy after a portion of Uthra's gold was found buried near his home days after the murder.

India's Supreme Court recently warned of the trend of snakebite murders, as it refused to release on bail a woman and her "lover" accused of using a cobra to kill her mother-in-law in the northern state of Rajasthan in 2019.

Prosecutor J Mohanraj said the biggest challenge in the Kerala case was to prove that the snakebite was fatal, adding that a test that showed the difference between natural and induced bite marks was presented to the court.

The Hindustan Times reported that the courts had acquitted two defendants in similar cases in recent years, after the trials failed to prove the use of venomous snakes as a "weapon to kill".