The mother of 26-year-old Greater Noida woman Nikki, who was allegedly assaulted, dragged by her hair and set ablaze by her in-laws in front of her little son and elder sister, has claimed that they had already given a substantial amount, including gold, an SUV and a bike at the time of marriage and later on the birth of Nikki’s son.
Recounting nine years of alleged dowry harassment, Nikki’s mother said, “Before the wedding they demanded a Scorpio car. We said we will give two Swift Dzire cars, but they insisted on the top model Scorpio and said they will take both. We gave them 30 tola gold and a Scorpio at the time of marriage,” she said.
On the birth of Nikki’s son, the grieving mother said, we gave them a Bullet motorcycle and 11 tola gold.
“She would complain about the harassment, and we even brought her home. But her father-in-law and elder son would come and plead, saying they made a mistake and it would not happen again. They took her back, but nothing changed,” her mother recalled.
Key accused in Nikki death case injured in police encounter in Greater Noida
“She kept telling us that one day things would get better. But now she has left us all forever,” she said.
The incident triggered nationwide outrage after two purported videos of the alleged crime surfaced online.
While one clip shows the victim being dragged by her hair and assaulted by her husband Vipin Bhati and mother-in-law, another captures Nikki sitting helplessly after being set ablaze.
The police arrested Nikki’s husband Bhati and her mother-in-law following a complaint by her family members.
Bhati was also shot in the leg during an encounter with the police after he allegedly tried to escape from custody. He was immediately rushed to a hospital for treatment.
The incident came to light after Fortis Hospital informed police about a woman with severe burn injuries being admitted for treatment.
She was referred to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital but succumbed to injuries before reaching the hospital.