Pune: 22-Year-Old Woman Ends Life Over Alleged Dowry Harassment; Husband & In-Laws Booked

Pune: A 22-year-old married woman allegedly died by suicide after facing continuous harassment for money from her husband and in-laws, residing in Lonikand. The incident occurred within a year of her marriage. Lonikand Police Station has registered a case against four persons in connection with the incident.

The deceased has been identified as Vaishnavi Yashwant Latte (22), a resident of Bakori Road in Lonikand.

Based on a complaint lodged by the victim’s family from Beed district, police have registered a case against her husband, Yashwant Shivnath Latte (28), mother-in-law, Sakhubai Shivnath Latte (50), father-in-law Shivnath Mahadev Latte (55), and brother-in-law Suraj Shivnath Latte. All of them are residents of Gokul Park Phase-2 on Bakori Road in Lonikand.

According to police, Yashwant is an IT engineer, and both families originally belong to the Beed district. Vaishnavi and Yashwant got married on May 7, 2025, in Beed. Prior to the wedding, Vaishnavi’s family had given Rs 2 lakh to the groom’s family for furniture and later sold their land to conduct the marriage in a grand manner.

Soon after the marriage, Vaishnavi allegedly began facing harassment from her husband and in-laws. The accused allegedly demanded Rs 5 lakh from her parents' home to purchase a car. Her mother and elder sister eventually arranged and paid the amount to the Latte family, hoping that the harassment would stop.

However, the harassment allegedly continued. The accused later demanded Rs 20 lakh from Vaishnavi’s parents for interior work in their house.

Yashwant allegedly threatened Vaishnavi that he would marry another woman if she failed to bring the money. Her in-laws and brother-in-law also allegedly threatened and harassed her.

Unable to bear the continuous harassment, Vaishnavi allegedly hanged herself in the bedroom of her house on the morning of March 14.

After the incident, the accused family members reportedly fled to their native place. Sunita Rokade, Senior Police Inspector of Lonikand Police Station, said a police team has been sent to trace and detain them. Furthermore, the matter is under investigation, and accordingly, action will be taken.