Pawan Yadav, a teacher at a municipal corporation-run primary school in Nangloi, was taken into custody and charged with dowry harassment.

Police claimed that the Congress councillor from Ward C-43 of North Municipal Corporation strangled her daughter Vanshika and then hanged herself from the ceiling fan of their house (number 96 in Nangloi) with a dupatta. The incident took place around 7.30 am Thursday.

Satyam’s family, however, alleged foul play.

Her 28-year-old husband was arrested on the basis of a complaint filed by her brother, Prashant, who alleged that she died because of dowry harassment. Circumstantial evidence pointed to Pawan and several inconsistencies were detected in his statement, police sources said.

Additional Commissioner of Police (West) V Renganathan said Pawan was arrested on Thursday night, produced in court in the morning and sent to judicial custody for 14 days.

A case of dowry death has also been registered against Satyam’s in-laws — Satyawati Devi and Lalu Ram Yadav — at Nangloi police station.

Satyam’s family alleged that her in-laws had been demanding Rs 10 lakh and a Honda City as dowry.

Police said they were questioning Satyawati and Lalu Ram. Satyam’s brother Prashant claimed that Pawan was unemployed at the time of marriage. “Her in-laws kept telling her that they could have married Pawan off to someone from Gurgaon and that they would have got Rs 50 lakh as dowry,” he alleged.

Lalu Ram was a member of a Congress block committee. “He always wanted to contest elections. This year, the ward was reserved for women. So, they made Satyam contest the municipal elections against her wish,” Prashant alleged.

He said Satyam’s in-laws also held it against her that she gave birth to a girl child.

Pawan, in his statement to police, refuted the allegations of dowry harassment. He said Satyam was upset over a family issue.

Police found Satyam’s body on the floor of her bedroom — in a sitting position with the back against the bed. The dupatta was wrapped around her neck and the other end was tied to the fan. Police suspect the weight of the body pulled it to the floor.

Vanshika was unconscious on the bed. She was later declared dead at the hospital.

Police said Satyam and her husband Pawan stayed on the second floor of their Nangloi house. Her in-laws live on the first floor and there is a guestroom on the ground floor.

Police said Pawan left their second-floor bedroom around 11.30 pm on Wednesday to check on his mother who was unwell. He later decided to sleep on the first floor.