Mumbai: A man has been arrested in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, for allegedly biting a mentally ill man to death to get his insurance premium. Prabhakar Bhimaji Wagchaure, 54, used the cobra to kill him. This is a case similar to the Sukumara Kurup incident and the Uthra murder that took place in Kerala years ago. Defendant’s goal was to obtain a sum insured of US $ 50 lakh (approximately Rs. 37.5 crore).
He took out life insurance from an insurance company operating in the US. Defendant’s goal was to use a snake to fake his own death. The incident came to a head when the insurance company decided to investigate the death.
Defendant Prabhakar Bhimaji Wagchoure and four accomplices were arrested. Prabhakar Bhimaji Wagchaure lived in the US for 20 years. He returned to India last January. He lived in Rajur village in Ahmednagar. Police received information from the local government hospital that Prabhakar had died on April 22.
The body was identified as that of a relative of Prabhakar and another resident of the village. It was later revealed that he had died of a snake bite. His ‘nephew’ then left the body for Praveen for burial. Police are investigating Praveen, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police then checked the phone records of the accused and found Prabhakar Bhimaji Wagchaure alive. He was then arrested. Police said the accused and his accomplices had planned an elaborate plan to commit the crime.
Defendants bought the cobra snake from the snake catcher. Then he found someone with a mental problem similar to Wagchaure. He was bitten by a snake and killed. The deceased was identified as Navnath Yashwant, 50, of 50. Wagchaure offered his comrades Rs 35 lakh. An investigation is underway against the person who gave them the snake.
English Summary: Man stages his own death for Rs 37.5 crore insurance claim, uses cobra as ‘murder weapon’
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