 "Police said Vipin was against Nikki reopening a parlour and posting reels online. Image: News18")
The investigation into the Greater Noida dowry death case of Nikki Bhati has taken a fresh turn after police dismissed the possibility of a cylinder blast.
Nikki died of severe burns on August 21, after she was allegedly set on fire with a flammable liquid by her husband, Vipin, and her in-laws at their home.
ALSO READ | Were Nikki’s in-laws present at her funeral?
But in her dying statement to doctors, Nikki reportedly said that the burns were caused by a fire that broke out at her in-laws’ house due to a cylinder blast.
Why did she say this? What does this mean for the case?
Here’s a look at that and other twists in the case:
Hospital memo, Nikki’s last statement
A hospital note shows that Nikki was admitted after suffering burn injuries from what she described as a “cylinder blast".
The alleged note, which was reportedly from a private hospital, said that Nikki was brought in on August 21 at 6 pm, according to a News18 report.
In Hindi, it read, ‘Ghar par gas cylinder fatne se mareej ko kaafi gambheer roop se jal gaya hai‘ (The patient has suffered severe burn injuries due to a gas cylinder explosion at home).
In English, it said, “Burn at home, due to blast of cooking cylinder."
The memo added that Nikki was taken to the hospital by her relative Devendra and that her condition was “critical".
Sources told CNN-News18 that the hospital staff informed police that Nikki herself had said she got the burns while cooking at home when a cylinder blast took place.
But the probe later showed that no cylinder blast had taken place in the house.
Police also found an empty thinner bottle and a lighter inside the house.
Officers are now trying to find out if Nikki gave this version on her own or if she was made to say it, India Today reported.
Kasna station house officer (SHO) Dharmendra Shukla said Nikki may have chosen to hide the truth as she did not want anyone jailed.
“It is believed she did not want anyone to be sent behind bars, which is why she did not blame anyone in her last words,” he told Hindustan Times.
Investigators told the publication that Nikki may have mentioned a cylinder blast to avoid implicating her in-laws and to protect her sister, who is also married into the same family.
ALSO READ | Did Nikki Bhati’s husband have an affair and hit ‘lover’ after being caught?
Nikki’s in-laws were present at her funeral?
A video from Nikki’s funeral has come to light, reportedly showing her father-in-law and other in-laws present, even though her family had claimed they fled after setting her on fire.
Kanchan said she fainted when she saw her sister burning and that the in-laws escaped after the incident.
The video, however, shows her father-in-law and some other members of her husband’s family at the funeral. Reports also say Nikki’s father-in-law lit the funeral pyre.
A few hours later, at 12.40 pm, Nikki’s family filed a case accusing her husband Vipin, Kanchan’s husband Rohit, and her father-in-law and mother-in-law of killing her by setting her on fire.
All four were arrested. Vipin was shot in the leg when he tried to snatch a policeman’s pistol.
CCTV shows husband outside home during Nikki’s death?
Media reports said that CCTV footage has surfaced, allegedly showing Vipin Bhati at a shop near his home on August 21, the day his wife Nikki Bhati was set on fire, allegedly by him and his family over dowry.
The video from outside a shop near the Bhati family home shows a young man, identified by locals as Vipin, standing behind a car before suddenly running. Moments later, he is seen returning and moving quickly towards the car parked nearby, PTI reported.
Shortly after, an elderly man and several locals rush towards the Bhati residence, while women in the area appear visibly shaken.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Greater Noida) Sudhir Kumar told Hindustan Times, “We cannot confirm the veracity of the CCTV footage. Cross-verification is underway.”
Kumar told PTI, “The investigation will cover all possible angles and suitable action will follow upon its completion.”
The Nikki Bhati murder case
On August 21, Nikki was allegedly assaulted, doused with a flammable liquid, and set on fire inside her home in Sirsa village, Greater Noida.
Her elder sister, Kanchan, said that both of them were harassed by their husbands and in-laws over a dowry of Rs 35 lakh, even though earlier demands for expensive gifts such as a Scorpio car, a Bullet bike, and gold had already been met.
Disturbing videos shared by Kanchan showed Nikki being attacked by her mother-in-law and husband. Another clip captured her engulfed in flames as she tried to move down a staircase.
The assault took place in front of her young son. “They poured something on my mother, slapped her, and then set her on fire with a lighter,” her son said.
Vipin has denied killing Nikki, saying that “she died on her own".
“I have no remorse. I haven’t killed her. She died on her own. Husband and wife often have fights; it is very common," he told news agency ANI.
With inputs from agencies