Pune: A 30-year-old woman was found hanging from a ceiling fan at her old flat in Akshay Heights Society in Mukund Nagar, under the jurisdiction of Swargate Police Station, on Monday. The deceased, identified as Payal Akshay Zambre, was allegedly subjected to continuous harassment by her in-laws over dowry and other demands, according to her relatives.
Payal was married to Akshay Zambre around five years ago, and the couple has a four-year-old daughter. She was employed with an IT company.
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According to the police, the Swargate Police Control Room received information about the incident on Monday morning. A police team subsequently reached Akshay Heights Society, where they found Payal hanging from the ceiling fan with a rope. Her body was sent for a post-mortem examination.
Police Inspector (Crime) Vikas Tukaram Bharmal of Swargate Police Station told The Free Press Journal that the police received a control room call regarding the incident in the morning.
"After reaching the spot, we found a married woman, identified as Payal Akshay Zambre, hanging from the ceiling fan. We took custody of the body and sent it for a post-mortem examination," he said.
The incident came to light after Payal's cousin mother-in-law reportedly contacted her brother and informed him that Payal had not been seen since the previous night. Her brother, Rishikesh, was subsequently informed, following which the family learnt about the incident.
Relatives have alleged that Payal was facing harassment from her in-laws over dowry and other demands. They suspect that continued harassment may have driven her to take the extreme step. These allegations are yet to be verified by the police.
Meanwhile, her husband, father-in-law and mother-in-law reportedly left after the incident.
Zanardan Pawar, a cousin of the deceased, alleged that Payal was repeatedly harassed by her in-laws over dowry demands, particularly during Diwali.
"Every year, her in-laws demanded 5-10 tolas of gold on the occasion of Diwali. This year, we refused to fulfil the demand and requested them to wait until next year. However, they continued pressuring her and subjected her to both mental and physical harassment," Pawar alleged.
Further investigation is underway.
