Pune: Swargate police have recovered all 50 tolas of gold allegedly given to the Zambre family at the time of Payal Zambre's marriage. Payal died by suicide following alleged harassment over dowry demands. However, the search for the fourth accused, her sister-in-law, who remains absconding, is still underway.
Yashwant Nikam, Senior Police Inspector of Swargate Police Station, told The Free Press Journal that the entire 50 tolas of gold had been recovered. With the recovery complete, the police are now preparing to produce the three arrested accused before the court and seek their magisterial custody.
The arrested accused are Payal's husband, Akshay Arvind Zambre; father-in-law, Arvind Vasantrao Zambre; and mother-in-law, Mangal Arvind Zambre. Her sister-in-law, the fourth accused, is yet to be traced.
Earlier, police had sought an extension of the trio's police custody, citing the need to recover the remaining 15 tolas of gold from the total 50 tolas, seize the mother-in-law's mobile phone allegedly used in connection with the dowry demands and trace the absconding sister-in-law. The court granted the extension, observing that further interrogation was necessary to recover the remaining valuables and take the investigation forward.
Although the entire gold has now been recovered, the search for the fourth accused continues. According to Nikam, investigators have traced her last known location to her residence and are making efforts to locate and arrest her.
The case was registered at Swargate Police Station following allegations that Payal was subjected to physical and mental harassment by her husband and in-laws over dowry demands, which allegedly led her to die by suicide.
Police are now focusing on tracing the absconding accused and gathering further evidence in the case, including details of the alleged demands for gold ornaments and other valuables, as well as chat records and call details.
