Mumbai, May 31 (UNI) A court at Pune on Saturday remanded Nilesh Chavan, a key accused in the Vaishnavi Hagawane dowry case, to police custody up to June three.

Chavan was apprehended near the India-Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh’s Maharajganj district after allegedly threatening Vaishnavi Hagawane’s family.

According to police, Chavan had been absconding since a case was filed against him for brandishing a firearm and threatening the Kaspate family, relatives of Vaishnavi, when they visited his residence to take custody of her nine-month-old child.

Chavan, who is reportedly close to the Hagawane family, had been in possession of the child following Vaishnavi’s death.

While moving the remand application, police told the court that they require additional time to recover crucial data from Chavan’s mobile phone and claimed he also holds the phones of Vaishnavi’s husband and sister-in-law, following this the court remanded him to police custody till June three.

Vaishnavi Hagawane (26) allegedly died by suicide in Pune’s Bavdhan area on May 16. Her family has accused her in-laws of persistent dowry harassment.

In connection with the case, her father-in-law Rajendra Hagawane—who has since been expelled from the NCP—her husband Shashank, mother-in-law Lata, brother-in-law Sushil and sister-in-law Karishma have all been arrested.

Chavan faces charges under the Arms Act for threatening the family and under the Juvenile Justice Act for failing to ensure the child’s welfare.

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