Pune Payal Zambre Death Case: After Husband, Now In-Laws Arrested Over Dowry Harassment
Pune, 4th November 2026: In a fresh development in the alleged dowry harassment and death case of Payal Pawar-Zambre, Swargate police have arrested her mother-in-law, Mangala Zambre, and father-in-law, Arvind Zambre. Her husband, Akshay Zambre, was arrested earlier.
Police said Payal had sent a message to her brother before her death, holding her mother-in-law responsible. She had also reportedly told him that her in-laws were demanding five tolas of gold for Diwali.
According to deputy commissioner of police Milind Mohite, Payal’s family had given 50 tolas of gold and Rs25 lakh in cash at the time of her marriage to Akshay in 2019. A case has been registered against her husband, in-laws and sister-in-law at Swargate police station under provisions related to dowry harassment and other offences. The investigation is underway.
Payal was found dead at a flat in the Akshay Heights housing society in Mukundnagar on November 2. Police said she had left home following an argument with her mother-in-law the previous evening. Her family members began searching for her after receiving a call from her in-laws on Monday morning.
Her family has alleged that she faced mental and physical harassment over dowry demands since her marriage. They claimed that her in-laws demanded between five and 10 tolas of gold every Diwali. The family, which is engaged in farming, had sought time to meet the demand due to financial difficulties caused by drought conditions.
The family has also alleged that Payal was harassed during her pregnancy in 2022 because her husband and in-laws wanted a male child. After she gave birth to a daughter on March 30, 2023, her in-laws allegedly created a scene at the hospital and refused to take responsibility for her or the child.
Payal, who held an MSc in Computer Science, worked at an IT company. Her relatives alleged that she was also pressured by her in-laws to quit her job and focus on household responsibilities, even as she was approaching an opportunity for promotion.
Police are investigating the allegations, including the circumstances leading to her death and the alleged dowry demands.
