‘They are butchers, don’t deserve to live’: Noida dowry death victim’s father alleges Vipin killed Nikki over his illicit affair | Noida News

NOIDA: “They are butchers. They don’t deserve to live. I want an encounter,” said Bhikhari Singh Payla, father of Nikki Bhati who died after being allegedly set on fire by her husband and in-laws over dowry demands. Hours later on Sunday morning, Nikki’s husband, Vipin, was shot in the leg as he tried to “flee” while in custody.Additional DCP Sudhir Kumar said Vipin, who was arrested on Sunday itself, was being taken to the crime scene when he “snatched a pistol from an SI and opened fire” in a bid to escape.

‘Threw kerosene on mom, set her on fire with lighter’ The cops retaliated, hitting Vipin in the leg and leaving him injured. He was taken to a private hospital, where he was said to be stable. Kumar said Vipin was being taken to the scene of crime to recover the flammable substance used to set Nikki ablaze.Also read – Noida dowry murder horror: Cops arrest Nikki’s brother-in-law; hunt on for father-in-lawLater in the afternoon, Nikki’s mother-in-law, Daya, was also taken into custody.The police encounter came just hours after Nikki’s father made an emotional plea for justice. “They don’t deserve to live as they killed my innocent daughter. Daya poured kerosene and Vipin set fire to her. For long, they had been demanding money and a car from my daughter,” Payla said.He made an appeal to chief minister Yogi Adityanath as well. “If Yogi Adityanath delivers justice to people, I want it in the form of death for Vipin, his mother and everyone who is guilty. I want an encounter.”Nikki, who died while being taken to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital on Aug 21, had been married to Vipin since 2016. Her sister Kanchan also tied the knot with Vipin’s brother, Rohit. Both weddings took place on Dec 9, 2016. According to Kanchan, there was no dowry exchanged between the families. Kanchan’s complaint to police led to an FIR against Vipin, his mother Daya, father Satyaveer, and brother Rohit under charges of murder, voluntarily causing hurt and criminal conspiracy at Kasna police station.She recounted the harrowing events of Aug 21, when Nikki was brutally thrashed before being doused in kerosene and set on fire at their house in Kasna.“My mother-in-law gave a bottle of kerosene to Vipin and he poured it over Nikki. When I protested, I was beaten up as well. My husband and father-in-law were there but they did not intervene. After she was set on fire, I took my sister to Fortis Hospital in Greater Noida with the help of a neighbour. From there, she was referred to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi, but didn’t make it,” she told TOI.The violence was captured in a series of disturbing videos recorded by Kanchan. In a five-second clip, Vipin can be seen dragging Nikki by the hair and taunting her to “make a video”. Another three-second video shows Nikki, engulfed in flames, stumbling down a staircase. A third, longer video shows Nikki sitting on the floor, her clothes tattered and badly burnt.Nikki and Vipin’s five-year-old son also saw her mother being tortured. He described how something like a cloth was stuffed into his mother’s mouth before she was slapped several times, doused in kerosene, and set on fire. “Mumma ke upar kuchh dala, fir chaata mara, fir lighter se aag laga di,” he said.Police said their investigation had so far revealed a pattern of domestic violence and harassment by Nikki’s in-laws, but they were yet to find evidence of dowry demands.“So far, we haven’t found any evidence of dowry, but yes, there were incidents of domestic violence. Our investigation has also revealed that Vipin was in touch with other women as well. Even while writing the complaint, Nikki’s family did not mention anything about dowry. That’s why we didn’t include any section of the Dowry Act in the FIR,” a senior officer said.According to police, Vipin was unhappy with Nikki’s habit of making Instagram reels and her decision to run a beauty parlour with her sister. He and his mother would allegedly take away the daily earnings from the sisters. The daily quarrels prompted Nikki and Kanchan to shut the parlour six months ago.Dharmendra Shukla, the SHO of Kasna police station, said ties worsened when the two sisters announced they would reopen the parlour. A couple of hours before being attacked, Nikki and Kanchan were involved in an argument with their mother-in-law after she objected to a reel they were recording in a “studio” set up in the house.“Vipin asked her to stop making videos, but Nikki continued. Plus, she told him she would soon reopen the parlour. This led to a heated argument, and the subsequent violence,” the SHO said.Nikki’s father believes Vipin’s motive for the murder was his relationship with another woman. “He would often visit another woman. He wanted to kill my daughter for long because she had objected to his illicit affair,” he alleged. After Nikki’s death, Vipin attempted to portray the murder as a suicide on social media. He posted several Instagram stories, including one in which he wrote, “The world is calling me a killer, Nikki. Why didn’t you tell me what had happened? Why did you leave me? Why did you do this?”In another post, he claimed, “I have been wronged since you left.” He also shared a video of himself and Nikki smiling together, captioned, “I am devastated. I am left with nothing.”A video also surfaced of Vipin in hospital after the Sunday encounter. “I have no regrets as I didn’t kill her. She died on her own. I have no regrets. I only regret that she is no more,” she says in the clip.