Noida dowry murder: Did Nikki Bhati’s husband have an affair and hit ‘lover’ after being caught?

The brutal murder of Nikki Bhati, who was allegedly set on fire by her in-laws over dowry demands, has lifted the lid on her husband Vipin’s history of violence.

Officials have now said that Vipin had been booked in 2024 for allegedly attacking another woman.

ALSO READ | Dragged by hair, set on fire: How Noida dowry murder unfolded

The case had been filed at Jarcha Police Station in Greater Noida.

Meanwhile, police have arrested the victim’s brother-in-law and father-in-law. Vipin’s mother is already in custody, while the accused husband has been sent to 14 days of judicial custody after his arrest.

So, what was the 2024 case about?

Let’s find out:

Vipin Bhati’s violent past exposed

In October 2024, a woman filed an FIR at Jarcha Police Station in Greater Noida, accusing Vipin of assault and exploitation.

Sources told NDTV that Vipin was in a relationship with the complainant at the time, even though he was married to Nikki.

Vipin had allegedly attacked the woman to avoid any controversy after Nikki caught him with her, News18 reported citing officials.

Media reports said that last year Vipin was spotted in Delhi with another woman, when members of Nikki’s family confronted him and beat him on the road.

Nikki’s sister Kanchan, who is also married into the same family, earlier claimed that Vipin was involved with multiple women and was once found with another woman in Molarband in Delhi.

She added that Nikki had found out about Vipin’s extramarital affair, which had led to growing tensions between the couple for more than a week.

The Nikki Bhati murder case

On August 21, Nikki was allegedly beaten, doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire inside her home in Sirsa village, Greater Noida.

She was rushed to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital with severe burn injuries that evening but died there on Thursday.

Kanchan, the elder sister, said both of them were harassed by their in-laws and husbands over a Rs 35 lakh dowry, even though earlier demands for costly gifts, including a Scorpio car, a Bullet bike and gold, had already been fulfilled.

Shocking clips shared by Kanchan showed the mother and son attacking Nikki. Another video showed her 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.

Kanchan told NDTV that Vipin and Rohit would often stay out late and ignore their wives’ calls.

“If we asked them where they were, they would create a scene. They would spend time with other women, and when we confronted them, they would hit us. Our nights were spent crying. Nothing is left now, my sister is gone. She was about two-three years younger than me, but people thought we were twins,” she told the media outlet.

Both sisters were active on Instagram and YouTube, where they ran a beauty parlour channel together called “Makeover by Kannchan”, which has 54,500 followers on Instagram.

Police said Vipin was against Nikki reopening a parlour and posting reels online. On August 21, the two had a heated argument over her decision to restart the parlour.

Vipin has denied killing Nikki, saying that “she died on her own". Even as videos showing him assaulting his wife spread online, he said that he felt “no remorse“.

“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.

What Nikki’s parents said on the case

Speaking to NDTV, Nikki’s father, Bhikari Singh Payla, said, “They are killers, they should be shot, their home razed. My daughter was bringing up her son by running a parlour. They tortured her. The whole family was involved in the conspiracy, and they killed my daughter.”

He also responded to reports about Nikki’s presence on social media and her husband Vipin Bhati’s alleged objection to her Instagram reels. He said, “Everyone is active on social media—she was too. Even her mother-in-law used to post there.”

The father stated that he had helped his daughters set up a beauty parlour to support their livelihood, but their in-laws were unhappy with it.

“I had helped my daughters open a beauty salon, but the in-laws were still not happy. Still, my daughter silently endured everything,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nikki’s mother, Sanju, was heartbroken. “The son and mother should be hanged. My daughter died in so much pain,” she told the media outlet.