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Vipin Bhati’s family has denied allegations of setting ablaze Nikki Bhati over dowry demands in Greater Noida, claiming it was a case of suicide.
Photos of Nikki Bhati with her husband Vipin Bhati (Social Media)
Nearly two days after Vipin Bhati was arrested for allegedly setting his wife, Nikki Bhati, on fire over dowry demands in Greater Noida, the family of the accused has denied all allegations against them, maintaining that it was a case of suicide and not murder.
Speaking to CNN-News18, Devender, an elder cousin of Vipin, has alleged that Vipin was not at home when Nikki died. She died of suicide, he further claimed.
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Devender said that when the incident took place, the victim’s father-in-law was at his shop, her mother-in-law was not at home, her brother-in-law was at work, and her husband was standing outside the residence.
The family has also questioned the credibility of the video of the assault circulating on social media.
They alleged that the clip has been “edited,” with the first part recorded in January and the latter portion from the day of the incident.
“The video that has been put on social media is edited, as the first part of the video is from January, and then the video is from the day of the incident,” Vipin’s brother claimed.
Additionally, they claimed that Vipin and Nikki’s five-year-old son, who allegedly witnessed the incident, was outside the house and not present in the room when the tragedy occurred.
Nikki Bhati was allegedly beaten and then set on fire by her husband, Vipin Bhati, and in-laws at their home in Sirsa village, Greater Noida, on the night of August 21.
Disturbing videos of the assault, recorded by Nikki’s elder sister Kanchan, who is married into the same family, circulated widely on social media.
One clip showed Nikki being dragged by her hair, while another showed her walking down the stairs in flames before collapsing.
The case has drawn widespread attention as Nikki’s family alleged she faced years of torture and escalating dowry demands since her marriage in 2016.
They said they had already given a Scorpio SUV, a motorcycle, and gold jewellery to her in-laws, but the demands later increased to Rs 36 lakh in cash and even a luxury car.
Her elder sister Kanchan, who witnessed the incident, told reporters that Nikki was assaulted in front of her minor son. She also told the police that Nikki was allegedly doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire.
Nikki succumbed to her injuries while being taken to a hospital in Delhi, according to police.
On Saturday, the police arrested Vipin Bhati after he was shot in the leg during an alleged attempt to escape police custody. His mother, Daya (55), was also arrested the same day.
Police said Vipin had snatched a sub-inspector’s gun and fired at officers while being escorted to recover evidence, prompting police to retaliate.
On Monday, the police also arrested the father-in-law and brother-in-law of Nikki Bhati. The accused, identified as Satveer Bhati (55) and Rohit Bhati (28), were arrested by Kasna Police near Sirsa Toll Chauraha following a tip-off and manual intelligence inputs, the police said in a statement.
An official told news agency PTI that both arrests were made separately, with some time difference between the two.
The victim’s father, Bhikahri Singh, had said his daughters, Kanchan and Nikki, were married to brothers Rohit Bhati and Vipin Bhati, respectively, in 2016.
“Since then, they have been torturing both the daughters and demanding dowry,” he had alleged.
ALSO READ | Noida Dowry Accused Killed Wife Over Reels, Beauty Parlour, Says Report
About the Author
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
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