A WOMAN reportedly used a cobra to murder her boyfriend after plying him with poisoned beer so she could start a life with a new lover.
Mahi Arya allegedly hired a snake charmer to kill the man in a twisted plot that was inspired by a true crime TV show.
She then took off with her new boyfriend - leaving her ex Ankit Chauhan for dead - sparking a police probe in north India.
Cops subsequently launched a manhunt and issued a £475 reward in a desperate attempt to bring in the alleged killers.
Local reports said Mahi wanted to start a new life with lover Deep Kandpal and had been plotting the murder for two months.
She allegedly worked with Kandpal and her maid, who has not been named, to carry out the elaborate scheme.
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Mahi is believed to have hired a snake charmer for 10,000 Indian rupee (£100) before inviting the victim to her house.
The 32-year-old man was then allegedly tanked up with beer that was spiked with mixed intoxicants, The Times of India reported.
The cobra then struck Ankit and bit him twice on both feet, causing him to lose consciousness.
He was reportedly dragged into the back of a car parked a few roads away and left to perish.
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The sick attack was said to be inspired by hit TV show Crime Patrol, local media claimed.
Ankit was later found dead on July 15, 2023, by a local businessman who alerted the cops and his sister, Isha.
Authorities eventually located Mahi and Kandpal in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, and arrested them on alleged murder charges.
Initial investigations misdiagnosed the wounds on Ankit's feet as a case of asphyxia – a condition where body is deprived of oxygen causing unconsciousness or death.
However, a post-mortem found he died from the fatal snake bites.
Another warped lover allegedly murdered his girlfriend and chopped her up as part of a human sacrifice.