A 25-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly killing his wife and two-year-old daughter by releasing a venomous snake into their room in Odisha's Ganjam district, police said.

The incident took place in Adheigaon village in Kabisurya Nagar area, around 60 km from here.

The accused, identified as K Ganesh Patra, was having a marital dispute with his wife K Basanti Patra (23). They were married in 2020 and had a two-year-old daughter named Debasmita.

The accused had allegedly procured a snake from a snake charmer, misleading him by saying that he would use the reptile for religious purposes, a police officer said on Thursday.

On October 6, he brought a cobra in a plastic jar and released the snake into the room where his wife and daughter slept. Both were found dead with snake bites the next morning, while the accused slept in another room.

The police initially registered an unnatural death case, but questioned the accused after his father-in-law lodged an FIR accusing him of being involved in the death of the two, Ganjam Superintendent of Police Jagmohan Meena said.

"The accused was arrested a month after the incident as there was some delay in gathering evidence against him. During interrogation, he initially denied the allegation and later claimed that the snake might have entered the room on its own. But he confessed that he committed the crime," the SP said, adding further investigation is underway.

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