KANPUR, Feb. 10 -- When a 25-year-old woman in Auraiya district wanted to be out of an arranged marriage, she didn't just say no, she staged a full-blown snake transformation scene, depicting a supernatural escape by placing a five-foot-long shed skin on her bed before fleeing with her partner, leaving behind a village convinced she had turned into a serpent and a family too stunned to chase her, police said on Monday.

Ajay Kumar, SHO Phapund, said the snake skin stunt was designed to throw everyone off her trail. "The girl staged this drama to mislead people. No transformation occurred, just a very determined exit," he said.

The discovery of the snake skin sent the village into a frenzy. Residents swarmed the house, with some convinced...