Chemistry professor accused of murder gives scientific defence in High Court

Did a Chemistry professor use her knowledge to get away with murder?

Transcript

00:00She's accused of killing a husband, but it's not the murder that's gone viral, it's her defense.

00:12Before we dive into the murder mystery, here's how 60-year-old Mamta Patak

00:17held her ground in court when asked about the post-mortem.

00:26She then explained how electric current interacts with body tissues,

00:29how metal particles respond to heat and why none of these effects can be seen without a lab analysis.

00:35The judges listen intently as if attending a live chemistry lecture.

00:39But here's what happened outside that courtroom.

00:42On 29th April 2021, Dr Neeraj Patak, Mamta's husband, was allegedly drugged with sleeping pills,

00:49then electrocuted inside their bedroom. Police say Mamta carefully planned it.

00:54She gave him a heavy dose of pills allegedly to knock him out,

00:58then used a live wire to kill him. That's why electrocuting her husband is one of the allegations

01:03she faces. The next morning, apparently, she left for Jhansi with her 28-year-old son, Nitesh,

01:09a move believed to delay discovery and hinder forensic analysis.

01:12Mamta returned on 1st May, claiming she found her husband dead.

01:15But a voice recording from 28th April surfaced, Dr. Patak alleging harassment by Mamta and their son.

01:22The couple's driver said Mamta mentioned making a big mistake while travelling to Jhansi.

01:26During interrogation, Mamta allegedly confessed knowing sleeping pills might not show after 2 days.

01:31Investigators also found that months earlier, Mamta had filed a withdrawn,

01:35a false complaint accusing her husband of having drugged her to meet another woman.

01:40She was convicted of murder and sentenced to life, but later secured bail from the High Court.

01:45After the last hearing in end April, the verdict remains reserved and she remains out on bail.

01:51I'm Manish Avdikari. Thank you for watching 1st Things Fast.