Noida dowry death: Who are the four accused arrested for Nikki Bhati's murder?
While Vipin Bhati was the first to be arrested for Nikki Bhati's murder, the remaining three accused were arrested and sent to judicial custody for 14 days.
Four days after 28-year-old Nikki Bhati was killed by her husband, Vipin, and in-laws, the Uttar Pradesh police have arrested all four accused in the dowry murder case. The chilling details and the shocking videos of the husband and the in-laws setting Nikki on fire in front of her sister and a seven-year-old son had sparked protests and massive outrage.
The police have so far arrested Nikki's husband Vipin, her father-in-law, mother-in-law and brother-in-law. With the latest arrest, police confirmed that all the four accused have been arrested and the statements of the victim's family will be recorded.
While Vipin Bhati was sent for judicial remand on Sunday, the remaining three accused have also been sent for a 14-day custody on Monday.
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Here are the four accused who have been arrested in the Noida dowry death case:
⦁ Vipin Bhati: Police said that Vipin allegedly set his wife, Nikki, afire last Thursday after a fight over her posting reels on Instagram and opening a beauty parlour. Vipin was arrested on Saturday. A day later, he was shot in the leg after he snatched an official's pistol and tried to flee while the police took him to a spot in Greater Noida to collect evidence regarding the crime. He had been sent to a 14-day judicial custody. He has said that he had “no remorse” for the incident.
⦁ Daya Bhati: Vipin Bhati's mother and Nikki's mother-in-law, Daya Bhati was also arrested on Sunday. 55-year-old Daya had been absconding since the incident, and she was the second accused to be held in the case. She was been named in the FIR, lodged by the victim's family at Kasna Police Station in Greater Noida on August 22.
⦁ Rohit: 28-year-old Rohit, who is the brother-in-law of Nikki, has also been named an accused in the case. The police got a tip-off regarding Rohit's location, following which he was nabbed near Sirsa Toll Chauraha. He has been arrested 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.
⦁ Satyaveer Bhati: Satyaveer Bhati, Nikki's father-in-law and accused in the murder case, was arrested earlier on Monday. He was also been booked under BNS sections 103(1) (murder), 115 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt) and 61 (2) (attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or others) at Kasna Police Station.
Nikki Bhati and her sister, Kanchan, got married into the Bhati family in 2016, following which the in-laws started abusing the two over dowry. While Nikki endured endless assault in the years following the marriage, the matter escalated on August 21 after she demanded to reopen her beauty parlour, which triggered a fight between her and Vipin.
The matter surfaced on Saturday after disturbing videos of the incident and testimonies of Nikki's son and sister surfaced on social media on how Vipin Bhati and the in-laws assaulted Nikki and his sister.
Nikki was physically assaulted and dragged by the hair, before the family set her afire in front of her sister and seven-year-old son. While the sister fainted due to the assault, Nikki was set ablaze and a video showed her walking down a staircase before collapsing. Nikki succumbed to burns while being taken to a hospital on Thursday night.
