Indian woman tricks family into thinking she transformed into a snake

A young woman wanting to avoid an arranged marriage fled her family home in India by faking transforming into a snake. Photo / 123rf

A young woman in rural India attempted to avoid arranged marriage by tricking her family into thinking she had transformed into a snake.

The story made international headlines after police were called to a family’s home in the Auraiya district, in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populated state with more than 241 million people.

According to the police, the girl escaped to avoid an arranged marriage her family was organising.

Police said the family woke on Monday to find their daughter was missing. Instead they found a 1.5m long snake skin in the girl’s bed, with her bangles, rings and clothes arranged to suggest she had turned into a serpent.

The station house officer for the local police, Ajay Kumar, told the Hindustan Times the girl was trying to evade her family.

“The girl staged this drama to mislead people. No transformation occurred, just a very determined exit.”

The Hindustan Times said the story quickly spread around the village with some locals swarming the house convinced the woman had transformed into a nāga, a supernatural half-human, half-serpent being.

Nāga have a long history in Indian folklore. There is a popular television show called Naagin (a female nāga) about a shape-shifting female snake who takes the form of a woman to seek revenge for her parents’ deaths.

Police said Reena, 25, left the skin on the bed Sunday night and made her exit. However, police discovered she was in a relationship and had fled with her partner. The pair are reported as missing.

The Times of India reported Reena had been planning her escape for months and had been in touch with her partner via her mother’s phone. Police now have his number and are attempting to track down the duo.

Circle officer of Dibiyapur city, Manoj Gangwar, said teams have been formed to track down the woman.

“The claim that she turned into a snake is a rumour. We are looking for a person, not a serpent,” he told the Hindustan Times.