THANE: A pregnant woman allegedly endured months of abuse, starvation and humiliation at the hands of her in-laws in Kalyan, culminating in her head being forcibly shaved over dowry demands. Police have arrested her husband after she escaped from his family’s home and lodged a complaint.Pregnant woman alleges torture, forced head shaving over dowry; husband heldThe victim, Afsana, who is also the mother of a one and half year old child, is currently undergoing treatment at Central Hospital in Ulhasnagar.According to police, Afsana married Sameer Ansari, a resident of Waldhuni in Kalyan, two years back. She alleged that Ansari’s family had allegedly demanded dowry before the marriage. Despite being informed that Afsana’s family could not afford it, the demands allegedly continued after the wedding and escalated into repeated harassment and abuse.Afsana alleged that she was routinely denied adequate food, physically assaulted and deprived of money for daily expenses. She also claimed that her hands were deliberately burnt with boiling water.The woman further alleged that her mother-in-law, sister-in-law and another female relative recently shaved her head forcibly on the pretext that she had lice, allegedly to humiliate her. She was then locked inside a room.Police said she found an opportunity to escape when her son fell ill. After receiving permission to take him to a doctor, she went directly to her maternal home in Ulhasnagar and informed her family about the alleged abuse.Her relatives subsequently approached the Mahatma Phule police station and lodged a complaint.A case has been registered against four members of her husband’s family, including Ansari.Baliram Pardeshi, Senior Police Inspector at the Mahatma Phule Police Station, told HT, “We have arrested the husband of the complainant in this case. Four members of the victim’s in-law family, including her husband, have been booked under Sections 85 and 86 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Other members of the family will be arrested after we ascertain their exact roles in the crime.”