Nikki Yadav's father reacts after cops said she married Sahil Gehlot in 2020

HT earlier reported that Sahil Gehlot and Nikki Yadav got married in a secret ceremony at an Arya Samaj Mandir in Noida in October 2020.

Sunil Yadav, the father of Nikki Yadav, who was strangled with a mobile phone's data cable, said on Saturday he was “unaware” that his daughter got married to accused Sahil Gehlot in an Arya Samaj Temple in 2020.

Nikki's father contacted Sahil as he could not reach Nikki over phone. Sahil said Nikki went on a trip.

HT, citing the Delhi Police, earlier on Friday reported that Sahil Gehlot and Nikki Yadav got married in a secret ceremony at an Arya Samaj Mandir in Noida in October 2020. Five members of Gehlot’s family, including his father, have been arrested for their role in the conspiracy to kill her.

“No one in the family knew anything about Nikki and Sahil’s marriage. We don’t believe it. All those who are involved in the murder must get the maximum punishment,” news agency ANI quoted Sunil as saying.

Gehlot allegedly murdered Nikki on February 10 in the parking lot of Delhi’s Nigambodh Ghat crematorium. He then drove more than 40km to his village Mitraon in north-west Delhi. He left the car, with the body in it, at a dhaba owned by his family. He married another woman the same evening - this match was arranged by his family - and returned to his eatery late that night to stuff the body into a fridge.

Special commissioner of police (crime) Ravindra Yadav told HT on Friday that Gehlot's family knew he and Yadav were married, and were complicit in the murder conspiracy, and in helping him tamper with evidence.

The special commissioner added that police arrested Gehlot’s father, Virendra Singh; his two cousins, Ashish Kumar and Naveen; and two friends, Lokesh Singh and Amar Singh.

According to the special commissioner, during the police interrogation, Gehlot told investigators that Nikki and he got married on October 1, 2020, but she was now pressuring him to marry her in a formal ceremony. When he told his family about this, the five accused allegedly planned to eliminate her. Gehlot told the five accused about the murder soon after strangling her with a mobile phone data cable, the senior officer said.

Gehlot was arrested on February 14 by crime branch officials for allegedly killing Yadav hours before marrying another woman. Investigators said that at the time Gehlot and Yadav were in a relationship, and were living together for the past few years.

(With inputs from Sanjeev K Jha in New Delhi)