Police find two of Sonam Shelar's phones, including waterproof iPhone

Police investigating pregnant woman Sonam Shelar's "unexplained" death say two of her cellphones were found in the water at Island Bay on Saturday, the day she was reported missing by her husband.

One of the phones is an iPhone X, which is waterproof.

Detective Senior Sergeant Warwick McKee said two young men found the cellphones at the beach in the water at Island Bay on Saturday.

Police were working through a forensic analysis to determine polling and call data, McKee said.

The scene examination by divers at Island Bay has completed and a search is continuing at White Rock Beach, where her body was found on Tuesday.

Police are continuing to look for any items or clothing.

McKee said Sonam Shelar's death was being treated as unexplained, as opposed to a homicide.

"At this stage it is an unexplained death. However, we are committed to resolving how she died, and how she ended up on the south coast."

An autopsy had been completed but police would not divulge specific details of the findings, McKee said.

"We have provisional findings at the moment in regards to cause of death, but we are waiting for forensic analysis to come back to confirm the actual cause of death."

Police had been liaising with the husband and her family, providing welfare and support.

"Naturally the family are devastated but we continue to provide answers to them."

Sonam Shelar lived with her husband Sagar and about "three of four other people" in a shared residential address in Khandallah, McKee said.

She was last seen by her housemates on Friday, and by her husband on Saturday morning.

McKee said Sonam's body was discovered by three young surfers.

"I want to thank them. They had to come out of the ocean, walk a few kilometres up to the farm... they were fairly young and it would have been quite traumatic. We are providing support to them."

Police ask husband for phone passcodes

Sonam's husband Sagar Shelar said police have asked him for passcodes to two phones yesterday.

One of the phones was an iPhone X, which is waterproof. Sagar Shelar told Stuff the other phone was "not working", which made him presume it had been in the water.

Sonam's body was found by surfers at White Rock Beach on Tuesday. Police are investigating whether her body may have entered the water at Island Bay in Wellington.

Meanwhile the India-based family of pregnant Wellington woman Sonam Shelar, whose body was found washed up on a remote beach, are scrambling to make arrangements to travel to New Zealand.

Sonam Shelar had been missing since Saturday morning. Photo / Supplied

Speaking to the Herald from India this morning, family spokesman Harshal Patkar said they were trying to figure out a way for family members to come to New Zealand.

Patkar said some family members had expired passports and they were having issues with paperwork.

They hoped for at least one family member to travel to New Zealand as soon as possible, he said.

Isolated, rugged part of the country

A Wairarapa farmer said yesterday the body was found by members of the public on the shore several kilometres south of the white rock that the beach is named for.

He said police from Carterton arrived within an hour after the body was reported.

The remote area can be reached from a winding, narrow gravel road, crowded with loose sheep, cows and hares.

The scene on the rugged Wairarapa coast at White Rock where the body of Sonam Shelar was discovered. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The bumpy trip takes 45 minutes to an hour after turning off from Martinborough, and comes out to an isolated black sand beach hemmed by sharp peaks rising into the low cloud.

The farmer who runs the station said the body was found much further down the shore on his neighbour's private land, at Ngapotiki Station.

The station is blocked off with a locked gate - and anybody heading that way who didn't have a key would have to walk, he said.

Due to the harsh conditions and access issues, this part of the country is rarely visited, except by keen surfers and hunters looking for adventure.

Husband says they had never visited beach

Sonam moved to New Zealand in April after marrying husband Sagar Shelar in December last year, and was five months' pregnant at the time of her disappearance.

Sagar said yesterday he had been contacted by police about the body of a pregnant woman being found on White Rock beach. He had not been told anything about how the woman had died, he said.

Sagar declined to speak further to the Herald, but told Stuff he and his wife had never been to the remote Wairarapa beach. He did not think she had enough money on her to travel there.

Sonam Shelar was five months pregnant. Photo / Supplied

Earlier this week Sagar told the Herald that Sonam had wanted a boy but an ultrasound scan was inconclusive and she was upset.

"On November 15 we went for an ultrasound test at the hospital," Sagar told the Herald.

"She had always dreamed for a baby boy but that day after the ultrasound they were not sure if it was a girl or boy.

"As soon as we got in the car she was crying and so upset because she wanted a boy."

Sonam Shelar's body was found by surfers washed up on White Rock Beach. Image / NZ Herald graphics

Sagar later said that police had searched his home and said: "I know that I'm still their first suspect but I know that I haven't done anything wrong."

Sonam's mother collapsed when news of her death reached home in India, family spokesman and family member Harshal Patkar told the Herald earlier this week.

"It might be a murder, that is what I'm saying, that is what her family thinks, especially her mother."

Sonam's family were adamant that she was not upset about an ultrasound scan indicating that she was having a girl and say she would not harm herself.

"When she [Sonam's mother] came to her senses she's told [the family] all these things, that she had transferred some money to them," he said.

"Then she said there used to be fights between them and Sagar used to give her a call and say that Sonam's not doing well."

The difficult-to-access area is rarely visited, except by farmers, and keen surfers and hunters. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Patkar said Sonam's family did not believe she would have been upset if she was having a girl.

The night after she had the ultrasound scan, Sonam had called home and was sounding "very normal".

"This thing which is going on in the news that she was upset because she wanted a baby boy, this news is not right, it is not true," Patkar said.

"She wanted a baby boy but she was never upset about having a baby girl … on the same day they had the medical check-up she was not at all upset."

The family saw Sonam as a mentally strong woman and the thought of her harming herself was completely unlikely.

A fitness trainer in India, Sonam had stopped working after moving to New Zealand and becoming pregnant, Patkar said.

Sonam would often ring home and speak to her mother and Patkar, admitting things were difficult at home.

"Sagar was upset with her, saying that she's not working and everything," Patkar said.

"She was facing problems, like she wasn't willing to work or not willing to eat - that happens with normal pregnancy problems so he was upset on her because of that.

"He was complaining with her mother regarding that, telling her he has to work for all of the things for her."

Sonam's mother tried to convince her daughter to make an effort and be nice to Sagar, doing little things around the home so he did not have to.

Sagar had also complained to his mother-in-law about money problems the couple was facing, including working a job which he thought did not pay well enough.

He had contacted Sonam's mother and asked for money to be transferred to his account so he could extent Shelar's visa.

"Once [Sagar] had told my family to take her away back to India," Patkar said.

"There was a time when her husband wanted her to go back to India, he was acting like he was fed up with her.

"Sonam said she wanted to live there because the medical things are really good and she never wanted to fly when she was pregnant."

A police spokeswoman said they wanted to hear from anybody who could have seen Sonam Shelar on Friday, November 16, or Saturday, November 17.

Sonam was last seen wearing a brown jacket with fur on the hood, as well as white, black and orange trainers.

Any residents with CCTV cameras showing the road or street in the areas of Cashmere Ave, Onslow Rd, Box Hill, Burma Rd and Agra Crescent are urged to contact police on 04 381 2000, or email opzeplin@police.govt.nz