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Nikki Bhati murder: Father-in-law, brother-in-law arrested
Two more people — the father-in-law and brother-in-law of 28-year-old Nikki Bhati — were arrested for her gruesome murder in the Kasna area on August 21.
The Greater Noida Police on Monday arrested two more people — the father-in-law and brother-in-law of 28-year-old Nikki Bhati — in connection with her gruesome murder in the Kasna area on August 21. Nikki was allegedly set on fire by her husband, Vipin Bhati, during a domestic altercation police have described as both “shocking” and “premeditated.”
Previously, police had arrested Vipin and his mother, 55-year-old Daya Bhati.
With the fresh arrests of Rohit Bhati, Vipin’s younger brother, and 55-year-old Satveer Bhati, Vipin’s father, all four immediate family members are now behind bars.
“The two were arrested from their residence in Kasna locality and have been sent to 14-day judicial custody,” said Sudhir Bhati, additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP), Greater Noida.
Investigators familiar with the case details said that Nikki’s murder was the culmination of months of hostility over her wish to run a beauty parlour and her active presence on Instagram, where she regularly posted reels with her sister, Kanchan. On the day of the incident, police said, Nikki again asked her husband to allow her to reopen the parlour she co-owned. Vipin refused, insisting that “women in the family are not allowed to run businesses or create social media content.”
The quarrel escalated until, police allege, Vipin doused Nikki with a flammable liquid and set her ablaze in cold blood.
Nikki, a resident of Sirsa village in Kasna, suffered extensive burns and was rushed first to two private hospitals before being shifted to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital, where she died. Her post-mortem confirmed death due to burn injuries.
According to police, Vipin confessed to the crime and chillingly told investigators that he had “no remorse.” He had previously vandalised Nikki’s parlour in February in what officers say was part of a pattern of violent opposition to her independence.
Meanwhile on Sunday, a string of disturbing videos surfaced, fuelling public outrage. In one clip, Vipin is seen pouring a liquid, believed to be thinner used in parlours, on Nikki as she sat on the floor. Another video shows him assaulting her, while a third captures the horrifying moment Nikki, engulfed in flames, stumbles down a staircase. Police said the footage was recorded by Kanchan at the family’s request to document the abuse Nikki had long endured.
“Those videos are heart-wrenching. They reveal the extent of cruelty she faced in her own home,” said Kasna SHO Dharmendra Shukla.
Nikki’s brother, Vicky Payla, said on Sunday the family had reluctantly allowed the in-laws to perform her cremation. “When we brought her body to our home in Dadri, Nikki’s in-laws repeatedly requested that they be allowed to conduct the last rites. It was their ‘last wish,’ and after initial hesitation, we agreed,” he said.
Meanwhile, Vipin was shot in the leg during evidence recovery on Sunday before being placed in custody along with his mother Daya. With the arrests of Rohit and Satveer on Monday, police believe all principal accused have been accounted for.
A case under Section 103 (murder), Section 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), and Section 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered at Kasna police station.
Outside the legal process, Nikki’s family and supporters have launched an online campaign, “Justice for Nikki,” led by her sister Kanchan, who has thousands of followers on social media.
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