Bhubaneswar, Nov. 15: Two persons were arrested today for torturing and murdering their wives.

Mahila police arrested Rashmi Ranjan Panda after his wife’s family claimed that she was murdered by her in-laws.

Panda’s wife Sushree Sangita Panda, 19, was found hanging at her house in Prashanti Vihar last night. Sushree’s father Suresh Chandra Panda alleged that Sushree was killed by her in-laws. Suresh said his daughter had married Panda, who works as a manager for a private company in Cuttack in July this year.

Sushree’s father alleged that his daughter had been tortured by her in-laws since the marriage. “My daughter used to complain that her husband and other family members were torturing her for small mistakes,” said Suresh, adding that last night they received a call from her in-laws about her death.

“When we reached their home, her body had been removed and was lying on the floor. On enquiring, they told us that she hanged herself from the ceiling fan,” Suresh said. He said they suspected her in-laws of killing her and making it look like a suicide.

After receiving complaints from the Sushree’s father, the police arrested her husband. They said though the deceased had left behind no suicide note, they had seized her mobile phone.

“We are probing the matter. We are also waiting for the post-mortem report to ascertain the cause of her death,” said a police officer, adding Panda would be forwarded to court tomorrow.

In the second incident, Mahila police arrested Abinash Sahu, who was wanted for a dowry torture case, from Bari area in Cuttack. Sahu had escaped to Delhi and had recently arrived at his native place. Acting on a tip off, the police raided his village and arrested him. Sahu was today sent to jail after a local court rejected his bail plea.