Greater Noida, Aug 25 Satveer Bhati, father-in-law of Nikki, the woman who died after she was assaulted and set on fire at her in-laws' home in Greater Noida, was caught by the police on Monday, marking the fourth arrest in the case.
This comes hours after Nikki's brother-in-law, Rohit Bhati, was arrested. Earlier on Sunday, the police arrested Nikki's husband, Vipin Bhati, and her mother-in-law, Daya Bhati.
The matter came to light on Thursday night after Fortis Hospital informed the police that a woman had been admitted with severe burn injuries. Doctors at Fortis referred her to Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital due to her critical condition. However, she died on the way before receiving further treatment.
Following the incident, Nikki's family members arrived at the police station in large numbers, demanding strict action. The police arrested Vipin and Daya on Sunday; however, Rohit and his father, Satveer, were absconding and were later arrested on Monday.
Additionally, Vipin was also shot in the leg when he tried to escape police custody on Sunday. According to the officials, Vipin tried to escape by snatching a police officer's pistol near the Sirsa Chowk in Greater Noida, and the police team chased him. During this, the police opened fire and shot him in the leg.
Vipin, however, has alleged that he and his family had nothing to do with Nikki's death. He claimed that she set herself on fire when he and his father were not at home, while Nikki's sister Kanchan made the video of the incident. A purported CCTV footage of the incident is also going viral on social media.
Nikki's young son saw his father and grandmother thrashing and then burning his mother alive. The deceased, identified as Nikki, was doused with inflammable material before being set ablaze, her family members alleged.
Her little son, who witnessed the ordeal, recalled, "They first put something on mumma. Then they slapped her. After this, they set her on fire using a lighter." When asked directly by reporters, he nodded to confirm that it was his father who killed her.
Nikki's elder sister, Kanchan, who was also married to Rohit, alleged that Nikki was murdered because she could not fulfil the in-laws' demand for Rs 36 lakh as dowry.
She said she herself had been tortured and beaten for dowry demands.
She further stated that she witnessed her sister being burned alive.
Disturbing videos have surfaced, showing Nikki's husband and mother-in-law dragging her by the hair and thrashing her.
Another clip shows her sitting helplessly on the floor with severe burn injuries. Neighbours rushed her to Fortis Hospital, but she could not survive.
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