Man Who Staged Own Death Using Cobra To Claim $5 Million Insurance Arrested

A man in India was detained Monday for chalking out a bizarre plan to stage his death, using a cobra, and claim $5 million as insurance.

The suspect, identified as 54-year-old Prabhakar Waghchaure from the western state of Maharashtra, was also accused of the murder of a destitute man to pass the latter's corpse off as his. The victim was identified as Navnath Aanap, 50, The Indian Express reported.

Waghchaure, who was originally from Ahmednagar district where the incident took place, was living in the U.S. for the last 20 years and had returned to India in January. The 54-year-old had his life insured through a U.S.-based insurance firm for $5 million.

On July 22, officials at Rajur police station in Ahmednagar were notified about Waghchaure's death by snakebite, following which two of his relatives, Praveen and Harshad Lahamge, identified the body. The preliminary medical report also indicated the person died of a snake bite, and the body was handed over to his family for cremation.

However, things took an interesting turn when officials from the U.S.-based insurance firm contacted local authorities to obtain more details about Waghchaure's death. During an investigation, it was revealed not only was Waghchaure alive, he had also posed as Praveen at the hospital during the identification of the body.

The investigation revealed on April 22 that Waghchaure and two of his relatives, Sandeep Talekar and Prashant Chaudhary, found Aanap and Lahamge, and the latter had procured the cobra from a snake rescuer. Following this, Waghchaure forcefully took Aanap to a secluded location where a snake handler got the cobra to bite the latter on his toe, causing him to die instantly. After Aanap's death certificate was issued, Waghchaure submitted the same for the insurance claim on behalf of his family members.

"The insurance claims investigator had started digging deep into the claim on Waghchaure’s death because he had fraudulently claimed the death of his wife for a life insurance claim in 2017. His wife is alive… Waghchaure and other conspirators hatched an elaborate plan. Probe has revealed that they procured a cobra from a snake rescuer. They found a destitute person, with similar looks as that of Waghchaure, and had killed him with the bite of the cobra. Waghchaure himself posed as his nephew Praveen and reported the snakebite death," DNA India quoted Ahmednagar police officer Manoj Patil, as saying.

Patil said the cops have also arrested four accomplices of Waghchaure.

"We have now arrested Waghchaure and his four accomplices. Waghchaure has promised Rs 35 lakh ($46,646) to the other suspects. We are also contemplating action against the snake rescuer from whom the suspect procured the cobra," he added.