A 25-year-old woman in India simply called Devendri, died after being buried under a mound of cow dung by a snake charmer in a bizarre healing ritual.
The victim was bitten by a snake on her hand while collecting wood for cooking at her home in rural India.
The mother-of-five ran home to tell her husband, Mukesh, who decided to call the local snake charmer.
The snake charmer, Murarey, proposed to bury his wife in manure, stating it would suck out the poison, the husband agreed.
A crowd gathered outside the house in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, to watch as Murarey completely buried Devendri in cow dung while chanting mantras.
After 75 minutes, Devendri had died from suffocation.
The husband, Mukesh, said: “My wife went out to get firewood and when she was collecting the wood, a snake bit her.
“We tried some medicines, a ground powder, and tied a rope around her arm. But the snake charmer advised us to cover her in cow dung, so we did.
“The snake charmer was confident he could help. We left her in the cow dung for 75 minutes.
“I never thought she would die; I really thought she’d survive, and it’d work. I never thought this would happen.”
Snake charmer, Murarey, said: “I’m known in this area to treat animal bites. I think the snake was a cobra. And yes, she died because she was buried.”
Mukesh is now left to raise five children alone. He is completely baffled the burial method did not work on saving his wife.
Station house officer, Anand Veer, at Kakod Police Station, said: “We are not aware of this incident at the station. No one has reported anything or lodged a complaint.”
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