# Indore Court Jails Ex-Bank Manager for Life After He Staged Wife's Murder as a Cobra Bite

> An Indore court has sentenced former bank manager Amitesh Pateria to life imprisonment and fined him 45,000 rupees for suffocating his wife Shivani with a pillow and then having a cobra bite her body to hide the crime.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Madhya Pradesh · **Published:** 2026-07-01 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/madhya-pradesh/indore-korta-ne-patni-ki-jana-lene-ke-bada-sanpa-se-dasavakara-sabuta-mitane-vale-purva-mainejara-ko-sunai-ajivana-karavasa-ki-saj-3924 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Indore murder case, cobra snake, bank manager murder case, life imprisonment, Madhya Pradesh crime, wife murder case, Wildlife Protection Act, Indore court verdict

A district court in Indore has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for suffocating his wife to death and then having a cobra bite her body to make the killing look like a snakebite death. The court also imposed a fine of 45,000 rupees on the convict. Additional Sessions Judge Hemant Kumar Raghuvanshi delivered the verdict on June 24, convicting Amitesh Pateria alias Shalu, 43, under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code for murder, Section 201 for destroying evidence, and Section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which deals with killing protected wildlife.

## Suffocated with a pillow, then bitten by a cobra to hide the crime

In its order, the court held that the charge against Pateria stood proved beyond reasonable doubt, that he pressed a pillow against his wife Shivani's face and suffocated her to death on December 1, 2019. To destroy evidence of the murder and escape punishment, he then had a cobra bite her body so that investigators and family members would believe she had died from a snakebite. The judge further noted that Pateria killed the cobra he had used to carry out the act once the crime was done.

## 28 witnesses helped the prosecution prove the case

Additional Public Prosecutor Chandrashekhar Chaudhary said the prosecution produced 28 witnesses in court to establish Pateria's guilt. These included police officers who investigated the case, members of the postmortem board, and a veterinarian, whose testimony helped establish that Shivani's death was caused by suffocation and not by snakebite.

## A dead cobra recovered from the scene

Pateria had previously worked as a manager at a private bank. According to the prosecution, when police inspected the scene, they recovered the bed, a pillow cover and other household items, along with a dead cobra. However, the postmortem report on Shivani's body clearly stated that her death was caused by suffocation from her mouth being pressed shut, not by snake venom. That medical finding turned the investigation's direction and pointed it squarely at Pateria.

## Cobra bought for 5,000 rupees at a railway station in Alwar

An investigating officer in the case told the court that during questioning, Pateria admitted he had bought the cobra for 5,000 rupees from a snake charmer at the Alwar railway station in Rajasthan. He later used the same snake to bite his wife's body.

## Marital tension and family disputes cited as background

Witnesses from Shivani's maternal family told the court about long-standing marital tension and family disputes between the couple. Their testimony also helped the court conclude that Pateria had carried out a premeditated murder and then tried to disguise it as an accident or a death caused by snakebite.

## What this means for you
- **Across India:** The case shows how postmortem reports and forensic evidence can expose attempts to disguise a murder as an accident or a snakebite death, reinforcing confidence in how such crimes are investigated nationwide.
- **In Indore:** The verdict from the Indore court signals that police and the judicial system in the city are treating domestic violence and marital dispute related cases with serious scrutiny.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. Under which sections was Pateria convicted?
The court convicted him under Section 302 (murder) and Section 201 (destroying evidence) of the IPC, and Section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

### 2. When and how did Shivani die?
Shivani died on December 1, 2019, from suffocation after a pillow was pressed against her face.

### 3. How much fine did the court impose on Pateria?
The court fined him 45,000 rupees.

### 4. Where and for how much did Pateria buy the cobra?
He bought the cobra for 5,000 rupees from a snake charmer at the Alwar railway station in Rajasthan.

### 5. How many witnesses did the prosecution present?
The prosecution presented 28 witnesses, including police officers, postmortem board members and a veterinarian.

### 6. Who delivered the verdict and when?
Additional Sessions Judge Hemant Kumar Raghuvanshi delivered the verdict on June 24.

### 7. What was Pateria's profession before the crime?
He had previously worked as a manager at a private bank.

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