In a dramatic twist, investigators have revealed that Nikki Bhati, who was allegedly set on fire by her in-laws, told police officers and hospital staff in her dying declaration that she had sustained burns while cooking, as per media reports.It is suspected she gave this version to shield her sister.
According to her statement, released on Wednesday, and recorded in the medico-legal certificate, Nikki claimed she was injured in a cylinder blast at home. However, such declarations hold weight in court only if made before a magistrate — something that could not be done as Nikki succumbed to her injuries while being taken to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi.
Subsequent police inquiries dismissed the cylinder blast theory. Instead, investigators recovered an empty thinner bottle and a lighter from the house, which are now central pieces of evidence in the case.
Nikki’s younger sister, Kanchan, was also married into the same family, and investigators believe Nikki may have hesitated to implicate her in-laws out of concern for her sister’s safety.
Police later confirmed there had been no cylinder blast. Photographs of Nikki’s kitchen taken during the investigation showed the cylinder was completely intact.
According to media reports, Nikki’s family initially opposed a post-mortem and consented only after police intervention.
Case was first discussed in the village panchayat
Despite the seriousness of the incident, Nikki’s family did not approach the police until the morning of August 22, after her cremation. The case was initially taken up in a village panchayat between the two families, and it was reported to the police only later that afternoon — nearly 20 hours after her death. Following their inquiry, police booked four members of the Bhati family under Section 103 (murder), Section 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), and Section 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Vipin was arrested and, during evidence recovery on August 23, was shot in the leg by police after allegedly attempting to escape.
Earlier, on August 25, in a shocking twist in the Nikki Bhati dowry murder case, police had said her wish to pursue a career became the trigger that led her husband, Vipin Bhati, to allegedly kill her.
At around 3:30 pm on August 21, Nikki had told her husband, Vipin Bhati, that she wanted to reopen her beauty parlour with her sister, added the police.
According to police, Vipin had opposed Nikki’s Instagram reels and her plan to reopen a beauty salon.
Police had said Vipin Bhati has shown no remorse, telling interrogators, “Husband and wife fights are normal.” He was arrested on Saturday after being injured in a police encounter.
Uttar Pradesh police had made a fourth arrest in the Greater Noida dowry murder case by nabbing the deceased victim’s father-in-law.
A third arrest was made in the Greater Noida dowry case on Monday morning. The brother-in-law of Nikki Bhati, who was burnt alive over a dowry demand, was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police.
Nikki’s husband, Vipin Bhati, accused of killing her for dowry, was arrested on Saturday, while her mother-in-law was taken into custody the following day.
Nikki Bhati was allegedly burnt alive by her husband and mother-in-law
Nikki, identified by police, was allegedly thrashed and then burnt to death, allegedly by her husband and in-laws, in Greater Noida’s Kasna police station area. Her family alleged that her in-laws burnt her by pouring inflammable material.
The incident came to light on Thursday night when the police received a memo from Fortis Hospital. It was reported that a woman has been brought to the hospital in a burnt condition, and due to her critical condition, she is being referred to Safdarjung Hospital.
As soon as the information was received, the police team became active and reached the spot after contacting the family of the deceased.
Additional DCP Greater Noida Sudhir Kumar told reporters, “A case has been registered under murder on the complaint of the family. The deceased was married in 2016. The family alleges that Nikki was deliberately burnt to death by her husband and in-laws.”
The police took immediate action on receiving the complaint from the deceased’s sister and arrested the accused husband, Vipin Bhati.