Two men were strangled with an electrical cable and their faces burnt with acid at north Delhi’s Burari on Friday.

Their stripped bodies were found in an empty plot outside their relative’s house, police said.

After an initial probe, police have arrested a relative named Somvir, who works as a property dealer in West Kamal Vihar B-Block. Somvir killed his son-in-law Manoj Kumar, 39, and relative Khetarpal over his daughter being tortured for money at her in-laws’ house.

Somvir told police that he had asked Manoj to meet him as soon as possible. So Manoj came to the capital from Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun district with 46-year-old Khetarpal on Thursday. Late on Thursday, they consumed alcohol together.

However, on Friday morning, Manoj and Khetarpal were found dead outside the house. “They had been strangled and an effort was made to hide their identities as their faces had been burnt with acid,” said a police officer.

Manoj’s body was found only with his undergarment, while Khetarpal was nude. Their faces were badly burnt, but were identified as relatives of Somvir.

Police then questioned Somvir and other neighbours, which revealed that they were last seen with Somvir.

“Somvir was interrogated and he confessed to have committed the crime,” the officer added. Somvir told police that Manoj was his son-in-law. He claims Manoj and his family were not satisfied with the dowry given to them due to which, his daughter was continuously tortured.

Somvir’s daughter used to inform him about the tortures. Somvir claimed that he tried for a solution, but Manoj continued to force his wife to demand money from her father.

Fed up over the issue, Somvir allegedly decided to kill Manoj. “Manoj and Khetarpal were strangled when they were in an inebriated condition late on Thursday,” the officer said.

They were stripped to confuse the investigators as police were also probing into sodomy angle.

Somvir used acid to destroy evidence, but circumstantial proof was against him. A case of murder has been registered with Burari police station.