A woman who allegedly hired a snake charmer to murder her boyfriend has been arrested.
Mahi Arya is accused of killing her lover Ankit Chauhan in a twisted murder plot reportedly inspired by a true crime TV show.
Chauhan, 32, was found dead inside his car with the engine still running on July 15.
Arya allegedly went on the run for days as police searched for the suspect.
She is suspected of paying a snake charmer 10,000 Indian rupees (£94.82) to help carry out the murder
The outlet adds that her maid and the maid’s husband are suspected of playinf a part in the plot.
Arya reportedly invited the victim to her home in Haldwani, Uttarakhand in India on July 14 after hiring the snake charmer and formulating the plan.
He suffered cobra bites on both his feet, which reports claim caused him to lose consciousness.
The suspect is accused of then dragging him into the back of a parked car a few roads away as she allegedly left him.
Arya had allegedly been plotting this plan for two months and got inspiration from the show Crime Patrol.
She also allegedly watched “shows on the internet on how to hide evidence and escape after committing the crime without leaving a trace”, a police officer told the Times of India under the condition of anonymity.
The officer further added that the suspect “shut down the two CCTV cameras installed at her home, 20 days before the murder as per a well-planned move”.
A businessman made the horrific discovery of Chauhan’s dead body the day after the brutal murder was carried out.
The wounds on the victim’s feet were reportedly initially misdiagnosed as cases of asphyxia – a condition where body is deprived of oxygen causing death.
Isha Chauhan, the victim’s sister, informed the police while a post-mortem determined he died from snake bites.
Police have issued a $610 reward after launching a manhunt for the killers.
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