Relatives of Payal Zambare vandalise Zambare Palace and hotel in rage

Following the news of the suicide of 29-year-old IT professional and MBA graduate Payal Akshay Zambare in Pune, members of her family and relatives expressed intense outrage. According to a report by News18, upon receiving news of Payal's death, her angry relatives vandalised a community hall named 'Zambare Palace' located on Pune-Satara Road and an adjacent eatery. It is noteworthy that this community hall was owned by Payal's father-in-law. The situation escalated to such an extent that police forces had to be deployed to control the situation.

The entire incident began when Payal Zambare was found dead in a flat in Pune's Mukund Nagar area on Monday. Based on a detailed complaint filed by Payal's family, Swargate Police Station has registered this case. Payal had committed suicide in an apartment near her matrimonial home. A few hours before her death, she sent a heartbreaking text message to her brother, in which she wrote, “If anything happens to me, my mother-in-law is responsible.”

According to Payal's family, at the time of marriage in 2019, they had given 50 tola gold and ₹25 lakh in cash to Payal's in-laws. Nevertheless, her brother alleges that Payal was being subjected to continuous physical and mental torture by her in-laws. According to the family, the in-laws used to demand an additional 5 to 10 tola of gold every year during Diwali. This year, due to financial constraints, the family could not meet the demand for gold, due to which the harassment of Payal increased.

Not only dowry, but gender-based pressure has also emerged as a primary cause in this case. It is noted in the complaint that in 2022, when Payal was pregnant, her in-laws had put heavy pressure on her to give birth to a son. In March 2023, when Payal gave birth to a daughter, the in-laws allegedly refused to take responsibility for Payal or the child.

According to the family, the peak of the torture was witnessed on the night of 1 November. A few hours before committing suicide, Payal was severely beaten by her husband and mother-in-law. Following this incident, Payal sent a final message holding her mother-in-law responsible and ended her life.

Following the incident, Swargate Police have filed a case against four individuals under charges of abetment to suicide, domestic violence, and anti-dowry laws. Payal's 36-year-old husband, Akshay Arvind Zambare, was arrested on Tuesday. When his family threatened public protest, the police arrested his 58-year-old mother-in-law, Mangal Zambare, and 65-year-old father-in-law, Arvind Zambare, on Wednesday.

Currently, the police are conducting an intensive investigation into the case. To ascertain the exact circumstances of the death, the police are examining Payal's text messages, the family's allegations, and forensic evidence.