Woman dies after falling from balcony; husband, in-laws booked for dowry

A man and his parents were booked for dowry death and harassment on Saturday after the wife of the man fell from a balcony and died in Ulwe. The accused have been identified as Swapnil Madhankar, the husband, Sunanda Madhankar and Samadhan Madhankar, the in-laws. After the victim, Poonam Madhankar, died on April 29, investigations have revealed that she was being harassed for dowry and was mentally tortured over minor domestic disputes by her in-laws and husband, said a police officer, adding, “The victim’s father, Gajanan Lakshman Dhage, a 59-year-old farmer from Yavatmal, lodged a complaint after the incident.”The victim has a five-year-old daughter and a two-year-old son.

Poonam married Swapnil in 2016, following which she shifted to Ulwe at Paras Royal Society, sector 9, Dhage stated in his complaint and added that he had paid a dowry of ₹1.51 lakh and also incurred all the expenses of the marriage. Soon after marriage, the husband and in-laws started torturing her mentally,” said the police officer. “Every time Poonam visited her parents or called them, she would talk about being physically and mentally abused. She wanted to return home to which her parents used to tell her that all marriages face problems and that she should have patience.”In April, Samadhan had called Dhage and demanded ₹50,000, however, the latter had expressed his inability to pay the same, said the officer and added that Poonam, too, had called her father and said that her in-laws are demanding ₹50,000, however, she asked them to not pay the money.“On April 29, Poonam, along with her husband, children and in-laws were to board a train to Yavatmal to attend a wedding on May 2. On that day, Poonam’s father called her to know the train details in which they were travelling. During the conversation, Poonam again told him that she was being tortured for ₹50,000 and her father told her that she doesn’t have to return to her husband this time when she comes to Yavatmal. After an hour of that conversation, Dhage received a phone call informing that her daughter died after falling from the balcony of their bedroom,” said the police officer.