BERHAMPUR: A 27-year-old married woman was found dead in a pond under suspicious circumstances at Beldwar village under Odagaon police limits in Nayagarh district on Thursday.
The deceased is Tapaswini Sahu of Hariharpur village under Saranakul police limits. She had married Bakshidhar Pradhan (31) in 2020 and the couple has a five-year-old daughter.
Family members alleged that Tapaswini was killed by her husband over a dowry-related dispute. They said she was being subjected to harassment by her husband and in-laws over dowry. The matter was reportedly brought to the police in 2024 following which a settlement was reached between the two families.
Bakshidhar, who was earlier employed with a private company in Bhubaneswar, later quit his job and started a farmhouse at Beldwar where he lived with Tapaswini and their daughter.
The deceased’s family said the couple had an argument on Wednesday night following which Bakshidhar allegedly killed Tapaswini and threw her body into the pond inside the farmhouse premises. Police have detained Bakshidhar and launched an investigation.