Payal Zambre’s family has threatened to block a national highway if three of her in-laws are not arrested by Wednesday morning, escalating pressure on Pune Police over the investigation into her alleged suicide in Mukund Nagar.
Relatives of the 30-year-old met senior police officials at Swargate Police Station on Tuesday and demanded the immediate arrest of her mother-in-law, father-in-law and sister-in-law. The family has accused the in-laws of subjecting Payal to physical and mental harassment over demands for dowry and gold.
A case has been registered against Payal’s husband, Akshay Zambre, along with the three relatives. Police have arrested Akshay, who was produced before a court on Tuesday. The court remanded him to police custody until November 7.
The family alleged that the remaining accused had been absconding for nearly 45 hours after the incident. Relatives also questioned the police investigation, claiming that Payal’s father-in-law had visited the police station but was taken outside by a police personnel without being detained. They further alleged that CCTV footage from the residential society where the incident occurred had not been seized.
The relatives warned that villagers would block the national highway if the remaining accused were not arrested by Wednesday morning. Such a blockade could affect traffic movement and add a civic-disruption dimension to the dispute, although the report does not specify which national highway the family intends to block.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 2) Milind Mohite confirmed that Payal’s relatives had met senior police officials and raised their concerns. He acknowledged the family’s anger and said police had assured them that the matter was being investigated.
Mohite said Payal’s father-in-law had been hospitalised because of health complications and would be arrested after his condition improved. He also confirmed that Akshay remained in police custody until November 7.
Police are investigating a WhatsApp message allegedly written by Payal before her death, in which she reportedly held her in-laws responsible for her situation. The allegations of dowry-related harassment, the contents and evidentiary status of the message, and the circumstances surrounding her death remain under investigation.
The immediate next steps are the police investigation into the allegations, the court-monitored custody of Akshay Zambre until November 7, and the police response to the family’s demand for arrests by Wednesday morning.
