Pune: Woman, 34, found hanging in Mukundnagar; brother accuses husband, in-laws of harassment

A 34-year-old married woman was found dead on Monday morning in her marital home in Mukundnagar, Pune. A few hours before her death, she had sent her brother's mobile phone a message reading "My mother-in-law is responsible". The message has become a key part of the complaint. Her brother has alleged that she was subjected to physical and mental harassment for years over dowry, gold and ancestral property, and was driven to suicide.

The deceased is Payal Akshay Zambare. She was found dead in a flat in Akshay Heights Co-operative Housing Society. Her brother, Rushikesh Ravindra Pawar (31), has filed a detailed complaint at Swargate police station. It names her husband Akshay Arvind Zambare (38), mother-in-law Mangal (58), father-in-law Arvind (65) and sister-in-law Akshata (30). Advocates Pushkar Patil and Ruturaj Pasalkar are appearing for the complainant.

According to the complaint, Payal married Akshay on March 13, 2019. Her family is claimed to have spent about Rs 70 to 80 lakh on the wedding and given the couple about 50 tolas of gold and Rs 25 lakh in cash. It is alleged, however, that within two or three months of the wedding the mother-in-law began demanding money and gold from Payal's parents at every festival. The complaint says Payal was also harassed over housework and was given no money for her personal expenses. Her brother said her family repeatedly met these demands so that her marriage would last.

It is also alleged that in 2022, when she was pregnant, her husband and in-laws insisted that she must have a son, citing the family's social standing. She gave birth to a girl on March 30, 2023. It is alleged that at the hospital itself, her husband and in-laws demanded to know why a girl had been born and said they would look after neither mother nor child. Her family says it paid about Rs 2.5 lakh for the caesarean delivery and medical costs.

Payal then went to her parents' home in Khed Shivapur and stayed there for nearly a year. It is alleged that her in-laws refused to take her back. After elders from both families intervened repeatedly, she returned to her husband. The complaint says the harassment did not stop. She was allegedly taunted constantly for having a daughter and threatened that she and her daughter should kill themselves if the demands could not be met.

The complaint says her husband and mother-in-law later pressured her to ask her father for her share of agricultural land and have it transferred to her husband's name. She was allegedly given an ultimatum: arrange the property, or take a divorce and leave the house with her daughter. It is also alleged that in August 2026 she was thrown out of the house because the property demand was not met. The two families then met again, and the in-laws were assured that her parents would bear all of the girl's education, personal and future wedding expenses. Payal and her daughter were then taken back.

At about 8.30 am on November 1, Payal came to her parents' home in Shrirangnagar (Shriramnagar) in Khed Shivapur. Her brother said she was much quieter than usual all day. When they asked her in the evening, she began crying and told them of the harassment she and her daughter were facing, it is claimed. She reportedly said her mother-in-law repeatedly abused and beat her, while her father-in-law drank and hurled obscene abuse. She also said her in-laws had demanded five tolas of gold for Diwali.

Her brother asked her to stay two more days. She reportedly said, however, that she had to return to Pune to pick up her daughter from school the next day. At about 6.30 pm, the brother booked a cab for her. At 9.18 pm, he received the message "My mother-in-law is responsible" from Payal's phone.

Alarmed, the brother phoned her immediately, but she did not answer. He then called her husband, who allegedly replied angrily, warned him not to interfere in their family matter and cut the call. Repeated calls that night to Payal, her husband and her father-in-law went unanswered, and the phones were later switched off or unreachable, it is understood.

On the morning of November 2, Akshay allegedly told Payal's father that she had not returned home. Her brother, parents and relatives rushed to the in-laws' home and asked about her. Akshay reportedly suggested she might be in a neighbouring flat, and the brother went there. As the flat was locked from inside, he broke a glass pane in the rear gallery, entered, and opened the main door to let the others in.

Payal was found hanging from a rope tied to a ceiling hook in the kitchen. Her brother brought her down and tried to save her, but she showed no movement. The complaint says her husband left the spot while the family struggled to save her. A relative informed police through the 112 emergency helpline. Police reached the spot and moved the body to Sassoon General Hospital for post-mortem.

Pawar has alleged that the four in-laws abetted her suicide through continuous physical and mental cruelty, repeated demands for money and gold, pressure to transfer ancestral property and humiliation over the birth of a girl. The family has demanded strict legal action against all four accused.