Prosecutors in the port city of Ismailia ordered late on Thursday the re-arrest of a policeman, released only hours earlier, who is accused of torturing a veterinarian to death in November.

The police officer was arrested last month over charges of killing veterinarian Afify Houssni who was in his custody after being arrested at his wife's pharmacy on 25 November.

Possession of drugs was the pretext for Houssni’s arrest, but his wife claims that he was detained over a dispute with a police officer.

Earlier this week, the policeman was ordered to be released pending further investigation after a judge refused the prosecution's request to keep the officer in detention.

Later on Thursday, prosecutors summoned him again for questioning and ordered him to be detained for four days pending a probe after a post-mortem report showed new evidence suggesting that the victim died of police brutality.

The incident last month came against the backdrop of the death of several citizens in police custody.

The ministry of interior and president El-Sisi have pledged to punish police officers found guilty of misconduct amid mounting criticism of police torture and killings.