Kendrapada: A 32-year-old man was arrested on Sunday for allegedly murdering his wife on Friday and attempting to pass off the crime as suicide in Kendrapada district.The accused, Padmacharan Mallick of Balibhanda village under Rajkanika police station limits, was arrested over the death of his wife, Kandhei Sethi (28). The couple had a three-year-old son and a nine-month-old daughter.The victim’s father, Sukant Sethi, lodged an FIR on Saturday alleging that his daughter faced harassment and torture from her husband over dowry demands since their marriage in 2022. He alleged that Padmacharan murdered Kandhei on Friday night and hanged her body from a ceiling fan to make it appear to be suicide. The body bore injury marks, raising suspicion of foul play.“Based on the FIR, we seized the body, sent it to the district headquarters hospital for autopsy and arrested the accused,” said Sanjay Kumar Mallick, IIC of Rajkanika police station. The accused was produced in court at Aul on Sunday. The court rejected his bail plea and remanded him to judicial custody.