Noida dowry death: All 4 accused held; family recalls 9 years of torture, demands

The father of the 26-year-old woman, who was allegedly tortured and set ablaze by her in-laws in Greater Noida, has revealed the endless demands and torture his two daughters had to endure in their marital home for nine years.

“Their demands were increasing day by day... and began demanding Rs 36 lakh in dowry from us,” said Bhikhari Singh.

Demanding strict action against the family, an enraged Singh said, “An encounter should be done. This is Baba’s (Yogi Adityanath) government; their house should also be bulldozed. If not, we will sit on a hunger strike.”

Two more arrests made

The third and fourth arrests in the case were made in quick succession on Monday when Nikki’s brother-in-law Rohit Bhati (28) and father-in-law Satveer Bhati (55) were nabbed by Kasna police near Sirsa Toll Chauraha following a tip-off and manual intelligence inputs.

Police said Rohit had been absconding since the incident that sparked outrage across the region. Nikki’s husband Vipin Bhati, brother Rohit, mother Daya, and father Satveer are among those mentioned as accused in the FIR. All four of them have now been arrested.

A case was registered against them at Kasna Police Station on August 22 under sections 103(1) (murder), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), and 61(2) (attempting to commit offences punishable with life imprisonment or others) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Also read: Greater Noida dowry death: Mother-in-law arrested, husband sent to judicial custody

Demands, torture by jobless brothers

Nikki (26) and her sister Kanchan (29) were married in the same family in 2016 — Nikki to Vipin and Kanchan to Rohit. Since then, they went through the same torture — assault, demands of more money, and expensive cars.

“At the weddings they (Bhatis) demanded a Scorpio car. We gave them the car, and then they demanded a Bullet motorcycle. We gave them that too. But their demands kept increasing. Sometimes they said, give us your Mercedes. After that, they began demanding Rs 36 lakh from us,” he added.

“Neither brother works. I helped my daughter open a beauty parlour, as Vipin had no work. He then started stealing money from the parlour,” Singh told PTI Videos.

Also read: Noida dowry death case: What has happened so far

Demand for Mercedes

While Vipin was arrested on Saturday (August 23), his mother was nabbed on Sunday. Bhikhari claimed a panchayat was organised several times to settle the dispute, but all efforts were wasted.

Pointing to a Mercedes parked outside Singh’s house, another relative told PTI Videos, “Vipin had been demanding this car for over a year. He said either give the Mercedes or Rs 60 lakh.”

Nikki’s mother said Bhatis wanted a top model of Scorpio car. “We told them we can only give a Swift Dzire; still, we gave the Scorpio and 30 tola gold (about 350 gram) at the wedding.”

Gift of bikes, gold

The gifts did not stop there. “When my daughters had children, we gave them motorcycles and 11 tola gold (about 128 gram). They still tortured our daughters. When we brought them back home, they held a panchayat and pleaded us for their return.... Still the abuse continued.”

The inconsolable mother said, “My daughter (Nikki) kept reassuring me that good days will come… but they never did.” She demanded strict action against the entire Bhati family.

Also read: Noida dowry murder accused shot in leg while trying to flee: Police

The evidence

Nikki’s elder sister Kanchan recorded a video of the attack and accused Vipin and his family of killing her sister for dowry.

Disturbing videos of the incident and testimonies of Nikki’s son and sister surfaced on social media showing Vipin and another woman brutally assaulting Nikki and dragging her by the hair. Another clip showed Nikki, severely burnt, walking down a staircase before collapsing. She succumbed to her burns while being taken to a hospital on Thursday night.

Nikki’s son (aged around six), who witnessed the horrifying incident, said, “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 using a lighter).”

Sister’s ordeal

While addressing the media, Kanchan said, “We were beaten and tortured for days. They were demanding Rs 36 lakh. They hit her on the neck and head, threw acid, and set her on fire in front of her child.”

She added that she, too, was assaulted when she tried to intervene. “They slapped me. I was injured and unconscious the entire day.” Kanchan said their in-laws wanted her sister to go away so that Vipin could be remarried.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Sudhir Kumar said on Friday that the police got a call from Fortis Hospital informing them that a woman with burns had been admitted and was referred to Safdarjung Hospital.

Also read: Noida woman killed for dowry in front of son; video shows her being set on fire

“Police immediately left for Safdarjung Hospital, but the woman succumbed to her injuries before the team could reach the hospital,” he said.

Vipin arrested, shot while trying to flee

Vipin Bhati, who was arrested on Saturday, was being escorted by the police to recover evidence around 1.30 pm when he tried to flee, according to the Gautam Buddh Nagar Police PRO. “He was chased and apprehended after being shot in the leg,” the officer said.

His mother Daya (55) was arrested on Sunday. She had been absconding since the incident and has been named in the FIR filed by the victim’s family, the PRO said.

Nikki was cremated by her family members.

(With agency inputs)