Dowry death: Nikki's in-laws nabbed, parlour link emerges | 10 points

On August 21 afternoon, Nikki told her husband about her plans to reopen the parlour, and hours later the same day, her family was told she was burnt alive.

Nikki Bhati, the 28-year-old woman who was set on fire by her husband Vipin Bhati, allegedly over a dowry demand, was told by him that posting reels on Instagram and running a parlour "were not allowed". The ongoing probe into the case has revealed fresh details, linking the chilling death of the woman to her posting reels on Instagram and wanting to reopen a beauty parlour she used to run.

Nikki married Vipin in December 2016, and two years later, her in-laws started making dowry demands, her brother said.

Nikki's mother-in-law Daya Bhati was arrested on Sunday and her brother-in-law Rohit Bhati and father-in-law Satyaveer Bhati was arrested a day later on Monday. Furthermore, Vipin, who was arrested on Saturday, was sent to 14-day judicial custody.

Here are top developments in the Noida dowry death case:

• Police have revealed fresh details after interrogating Nikki's husband Vipin, who they said had “no remorse” for the incident. “It was revealed that after torching his wife, the suspect immediately fled his home and went to his relatives’ house. He revealed that he was strongly against the parlour business," an investigator on condition of anonymity.
• A fresh angle has emerged to the dowry death case, with cops revealing that Vipin was against Nikki reopening a parlour and making reels online. According to cops, on August 21, Nikki and her husband Vipin had a huge fight over her wanting to reopen the parlour.
• Around 3.30pm on the day Nikki was killed, she had told Vipin about her plans to reopen the parlour, and at around 5:30 pm the same day her family was informed that she was burnt alive. “Vipin told her that in their family, posting reels on Instagram and running a parlour were not allowed. The issue turned ugly, and he started assaulting her,” Kasna station house officer Dharmendra Shukla said.
• Nikki's sister Kanchan, who was also married into the same household as Nikki, earlier told cops that the in-laws hit her sister in the head and threw acid. Her family alleged a dowry demand of ₹35 crore was made. According to police, Kanchan, who was married to Vipin's brother Rohit, was also assaulted, but spared as she was unwell and had an IV drip.

• Kanchan and Nikki were active on Instagram and YouTube, running channels for the parlour. The channel they run together was titled “Makeover by Kannchan", and its Instagram account has 54,500 followers.
• The sisters also had personal accounts, on which Kanchan had 22,000 followers, and Nikki, whose account was private, had 1,147 followers. The content they posted together had over 2.9 million views.
• Nikki's brother Rohit Gurjar alleged that two years after the wedding her in-laws started demanding dowry, especially luxury cars. He also said that in the nine years that Nikki and Vipin were married, she returned home multiple times over dowry disputes, but said it was later resolved.
• Vipin Bhati was arrested on Saturday and was shot in leg as he attempted to flee custody. A day later, his mother and Nikki's mother-in-law Daya Bhati was arrested amid huge outrage over the killing. On Monday, her brother-in-law Rohit and father-in-law Satyaveer were arrested.
• Earlier, a clip of a man pouring a liquid (thinner used in parlour) on Nikki as she sat on the floor soon went viral, with Nikki's six-year-old son later revealing that he witnessed the horrific crime. “Meri mumma ke upar kuch dala, fir unko chanta mara fir lighter se aag laga di (they poured something on my mother, slapped her and set her ablaze with a lighter)," the child reportedly testified.
• Apart from Vipin, a case has also been registered against Nikki's father-in-law, mother-in-law Daya Bhati and brother-in-law Rohit Bhati, whom Kanchan is married to.