Mumbai woman files complaint against husband and in-laws over dowry demand of Thar

The police booked the five accused under sections 323, 406, 498A, 500, 504, 506, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). No arrests have been made yet.

The police said they are checking the veracity of the allegations against the man and his family members. The police said that action would be taken only after verifying the allegations.

In her complaint, Amrapali said Mayur’s parents and elder brother spotted her at the Satara Mandhardevi temple in June 2022, and presented a proposal before her family for Mayur and Amrapali’s marriage. Amrapali’s parents said their daughter is a graduate, dance choreographer, cook, web designer, and beautician. When they asked Mayur’s parents about their son’s education, they said he had studied only until Class 5, the First Information Report (FIR) stated.

Amrapali’s father rejected the proposal, however, Mayur’s mother Manda and brother Mangesh convinced him, saying they were soon going to get Mayur a job with the Pune Municipal Corporation. They also claimed Mayur owned an iPhone-selling store earning $60,000 monthly and a garment-selling shop earning Rs 50-60,000, Amrapali stated in the FIR. They also told Amrapali’s family that Mayur had married before and that his first wife lived with them for five days.

After Mayur and Amrapali decided to marry, Mayur’s family pushed for an early wedding. But Amrapali’s mother told Manda they did not have money for the wedding. Manda told her mother they don’t want dowry, gold, clothes, etc, Amrapali claimed in her statement.

According to the FIR, Mayur’s younger brother’s wife, Sanika, called Amrapali’s mother four days before the wedding and demanded a Thar. When Amrapali’s mother spoke to Mayur’s mother, she said whatever Sanika said was right. “Manda also told Amrapali’s mother that if this marriage didn’t happen, their family’s reputation would be damaged, and Mayur and she would die by suicide. This is how we were mentally harassed,” Amrapali stated before the police.

Amrapali’s mother told Mayur’s mother when they got the money, they would fulfil their demand. Amrapali’s father is a plumber and her elder sister works for a private finance company.

On December 18, 2022, Mayur and Amrapali got married in Bhosari, Pune. Five days after the wedding, Mayur allegedly started ignoring Amrapali. He went with friends on trips to Tirupati, Goa, and Malwani and did not take her anywhere, claimed Amrapali.

Amrapali also said in her complaint that Sanika would often taunt and demean her for not bringing dowry and would demand a Thar for Mayur. Mayur would also support this demand and make fun of Amrapali in front of everyone, she alleged. Amrapali also alleged that Mayur would not give her money to buy groceries.

Amrapali said she found Mayur’s few pen drives in which he had stored his photographs and chats with various girls before the marriages. “One pen drive also had a video of Mayur’s first marriage. When Amrapali asked Sanika about Mayur’s first wife, Sanika told her that as Mayur’s first father-in-law refused to transfer their jewellery shop in Mayur’s name, he forced his first wife to abort their five-month-old child and threw her out of the house. This thing and the current status of Mayur’s divorce from his first wife were not disclosed to me and my family,” Amrapali claimed.

Amrapali also discovered bullets in Mayur’s drawer. When she asked her mother-in-law about the bullets, she told Amrapali that Mayur is a goon and has a criminal case lodged against him at Bhosari police station, Pune. In January this year, Mayur allegedly harassed Aamrapali mentally and physically and forced her to give him a divorce. Later, his family also threatened Amrapali by claiming they would file a fake case against her using their clout in the police.

Harassed and frustrated, Amrapali finally approached the police and filed a complaint.