Pune IT engineer Payal Zambare found hanging at home; husband Akshay detained

A 29-year-old married woman died by hanging at her home in Pune on November 2. She has been identified as Payal Pawar-Zambare, an IT engineer. She is said to have been the daughter-in-law of the family that owns the well-known Zambare Palace in the city.

Payal's parents' family alleges that she took the step because of harassment by her in-laws. After the incident, Zambare Palace in the Maharshi Nagar area was vandalised, causing alarm across the neighbourhood.

Police have detained Payal's husband, Akshay Zambare. A case of abetment of suicide is reported to have been registered against the husband, mother-in-law, father-in-law and sister-in-law. The Pawar family alleges that pressure was being put on Payal to bring money and gold from her parents' home, and that she took her life, unable to bear the harassment by her in-laws. Angered by her death, some members of the Pawar family vandalised Zambare Palace.

Payal's relatives have made serious allegations against the Zambare family. They say Payal did not die by suicide but was murdered. They allege she was subjected to continuous physical and mental harassment in her marital home over gold and money. The family claims Payal was educated and of a very calm nature, and could not have taken her own life under any circumstances. The relatives have demanded a thorough and impartial investigation into both possibilities, murder and suicide.

According to her family, Payal had been subjected to mental and physical suffering in her marital home since the wedding. It is alleged that 5 to 10 tola of gold was demanded every Diwali. Payal's family are farmers. Citing drought conditions, they had asked for time until the next season, but the harassment continued.

It is also alleged that in 2022, when Payal was pregnant, she was mentally harassed to ensure she had a son. The complaint given to police says that after a daughter was born on March 30, 2023, the in-laws came to the hospital and quarrelled. According to the complaint, they also refused to take responsibility for Payal or the baby.

Payal's body was found hanging in an old flat in Akshay Heights society in Mukundnagar, Pune. According to her family, the in-laws phoned at about 7 am to say Payal had left the house. When her relatives reached the spot, they found Payal dead, while her husband Akshay and his parents had fled.

Swargate police have registered a case against the deceased's husband Akshay Zambare and her mother-in-law and father-in-law. Police have detained Akshay Zambare, and a search for the other accused continues.