Noida Dowry Murder Case: ‘After Scorpio, they demanded Mercedes or Rs 60 lakh’: Kin of Noida dowry death victim recall 9 years of ‘torture’; demand bulldozer action | Noida News

NEW DELHI: “Their demands were increasing day by day and began demanding for Rs 36 lakh in dowry from us,” said the father of 26-year-old Nikki, who was allegedly tortured and set ablaze by her in-laws in Greater Noida.Victim’s father Bhikahri Singh demanded strict action against the family.Bhikahri 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 hunger strike.”The family recounted the nine years of harassment Nikki and her sister Kanchan (29) endured — including physical assault, repeated demands for money, and pressure for luxury cars.In 2016, both sisters were married into the same family — Nikki to Vipin Bhati and Kanchan to Rohit Bhati.“At wedding they demanded a Scorpio car. We gave them, and again they demanded a bullet motorcycle, which also we gave. Their demands were increasing day by day. And after that they began demanding Rs 36 lakh from us,” he added.“Both brother don’t work. Since marriage, they kept asking for money, sometimes they said give us your Mercedes, they asked for our Scorpio. I helped my daughter to open her own beauty parlour as Vipin had no work. He then started stealing money from the parlour,” Bhikahri said.Vipin was arrested on Saturday, while his mother was taken into custody a day later.The victim’s family said several panchayats had been convened in the past to resolve the dispute, but all efforts went in vain.Pointing to a Mercedes parked outside Bhikahri Singh’s house, another relative said, “Vipin had been demanding this car for over a year. He said either give the Mercedes or Rs 60 lakh.”Nikki’s mother said, “They demanded a top model of Scorpio car. We told them we can only give Swift Dzire, still we gave the Scorpio and 30 tola gold (approximately 350 gram) at the wedding.”“When my daughters had children, we gave motorcycle and 11 tola gold (approximately 128 gram), they still tortured them. When we brought them back home, they held panchayat, pleaded us for their return, still the abuse continued.”“My daughter kept reassuring me that good days will come, but they never did,” the inconsolable mother said.She demanded strict action against the entire Bhati family.Nikki’s elder sister, Kanchan, recorded a video of the assault and accused Vipin Bhati and his family members of murdering her sister over dowry.Shocking videos and testimonies of Nikki’s son and sister later surfaced on social media, showing Vipin and another woman brutally attacking her and dragging her by the hair. Another clip captured Nikki, badly burnt, stumbling down a staircase before collapsing. She succumbed to her injuries while being rushed to the hospital on Thursday night.The victim’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).”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 alleged that their in-laws wanted her sister out of the way so that Vipin could remarry.On Friday, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Sudhir Kumar said the police received a call from Fortis Hospital reporting that a woman with severe burn injuries had been admitted there before being referred to Safdarjung Hospital.“Police immediately left for Safdarjung Hospital, but the woman succumbed to her injuries before the team could reach the hospital,” he said.According to the Gautam Buddh Nagar Police PRO, Vipin Bhati, who was arrested on Saturday, attempted to escape around 1:30 pm while being taken by police to recover evidence.“He was chased and apprehended after being shot in the leg,” the officer said.His mother, Daya (55), who had been absconding since the incident, was arrested on Sunday. She has also been named in the FIR filed by the victim’s family, the PRO said.The FIR was registered on August 22 at Kasna Police Station under BNS sections 103(1) (murder), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), and 61(2) (attempting to commit offences punishable with life imprisonment or others).Nikki was later cremated by her family members.(With inputs from agencies)