Woman Found Dead on First Wedding Anniversary, Husband Detained

Bhubaneswar: A woman was found dead under mysterious circumstances on her first wedding anniversary at Chandipada under Balipatna police limits on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.

The deceased, identified as Swagatika Swain, was the wife of Yashobanta Pradhan. Following allegations of foul play by her family, police detained Yashobanta for questioning.

Reports suggest that Swagatika and her in-laws celebrated her anniversary the previous night. However, she was later found dead, with her in-laws claiming she died by suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan.

Her parents, however, alleged that she was murdered. They stated that after her marriage on March 12 last year, they had given dowry worth ₹15 lakh. Despite this, her in-laws allegedly harassed her for more dowry, leading to physical and mental abuse.

At one point, Yashobanta reportedly assaulted Swagatika and sent her back to her parental home. Following mediation, she returned to her in-laws’ house. On the night of the anniversary, her family had joined the celebrations but left after the feast. Later, they were informed about her death by neighbors.

Upon reaching the house, they found Swagatika’s body on the floor and immediately informed the police. Authorities have recovered the body for post-mortem and initiated an investigation.