Bhubaneswar, Jan. 5: The Mahila police today arrested Shanti Swaup Satpathy, husband of the assistant professor of a city-based private university, who was found death under mysterious conditions last night in Pokhariput in the capital city.

Gayatri Mohapatra, who was working as an assistant professor in computer science, in a city-based private university was found hanging at her home last night. Her brother, Ramakanta Mohapatra, alleged that she was killed for dowry.

On the other hand, the deceased’s husband and in-laws denied the charges and maintained that she had committed suicide over a family discord.

“Since their marriage she was being harassed by her in-laws. Though they were not demanding dowry directly, they have adopted indirect ways of extracting dowry by harassing her,” said Ramakanta.

While the deceased was working as an assistant professor, her husband is working as a public relation officer of a city-based private engineering college group. The couple had tied the knot four years ago and they have a three-year-old daughter.

Satpathy, however, denied the charges and said that neither he nor his family members had ever demanded dowry. “We have not demanded a single penny before marriage, there is no question of harassing her for dowry. I have hurt my leg while trying to open the door of the room in which she committed suicide,” said Satpathy.

The in-laws said that the couple had a quarrel last night over Gayatri’s decision to leave the home late night to attend a picnic. Thereafter, she locked the door and hanged herself on the ceiling fan with her dupatta (scarf).“We are waiting for the post mortem report to ascertain the exact cause of death,” said a senior police official of Mahila police station.