Kendrapada: Police on Wednesday arrested a 38-year-old man, Dharmendra Rout of Garjanapur village under Rajnagar police station limits, for allegedly murdering his wife, Sujata Rout (34), and trying to pass off the crime as a case of suicide in Kendrapada district. Police said the woman’s father, Haldhar Pradhan of Goshigaon village, lodged an FIR alleging that Sujata had been subjected to harassment and torture over dowry demands since her marriage in 2017. The complaint alleged that Rout killed her on Wednesday morning and later hanged the body from a ceiling fan to make it appear as suicide.Police said multiple injury marks were found on the body, raising suspicion of foul play. “Based on the FIR, we launched an investigation, seized the body and sent it for post-mortem. The accused has been arrested under Sections 103 (murder) and 85 (cruelty by husband or relatives) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Section 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act,” Rajnagar IIC Ratiranjan Nayak said.Rout was produced before a local court on Wednesday. His bail plea was rejected and he was remanded in judicial custody. Further investigation is underway.
