KENDRAPARA: Aul police on Tuesday arrested a 32-year-old man on charges of killing his wife and dumping her body in the crocodile-infested Baitarani river to destroy evidence.
Police said Ashok Das of Kaladia village strangled his 28-year-old wife Sasmita Das to death and disposed of her body in the river.
On January 12, Ashok had filed a complaint in Aul police station claiming that his wife went missing the previous day. However, Sasmita’s family members suspected foul play in her disappearance. On Monday, the woman’s decomposed body was recovered from Baitarani at Chandabali.
Subsequently, Sasmita’s brother Sarat Das lodged a complaint with police alleging that his sister was being tortured by Ashok for dowry since their marriage. He claimed that the accused strangled Sasmita to death on January 11 and dumped her body in Baitarani river.
Aul IIC Dhiraj Lenka said acting on the complaint, police registered a case under sections 85, 80 (2), 351/4 and 103 of BNS and section 4 of the Dowry Prevention Act. After investigation, the accused husband was arrested.
The deceased’s body was sent to the district headquarters hospital for autopsy. The exact cause of the woman’s death would be ascertained after the postmortem report arrives. The accused was produced in court and remanded in judicial custody. Further investigation is underway, the IIC added.