Bhubaneswar, July 23: Police recovered the body of a 33-year-old woman hanging from the ceiling fan of her rented accommodation at VSS Nagar last night.

While family members of the deceased, identified as Swarupa Acharya, a dietician, alleged foul play behind her death, the police suspected that the woman committed suicide.

The deceased's husband, Prabhat Kumar Moharana, said the room was locked from the inside last evening when he and his six-year-old son reached home. "I knocked on the door several times, but she did not respond. Then I broke into the room and found her hanging from the ceiling fan," he said.

But, Sasmita, sister of the deceased, said: "Her husband used to torture her. I had seen him thrashing my sister. I strongly suspect foul play behind her death."

The couple had married 12 years ago. "Both of them had a strained relationship for the past few years, and they were considering separation," said a police official.