Conflicting videos, including one showing Vipin outside during the incident and another of a woman’s voice questioning his actions, are being investigated. Vipin and his family are charged with murder and dowry offenses.
Greater Noida: In a significant development in the investigation into the death of Nikki Bhati, the Noida Police have stated that the young woman told doctors she sustained burn injuries due to a gas cylinder explosion. According to a senior police officer, this account was documented in the hospital’s memo, where the doctors noted that Nikki herself mentioned the cylinder blast as the cause of her burns. This claim stands in stark contrast to allegations made by Nikki’s sister, Kanchan, who insists that Nikki was deliberately set ablaze by her husband Vipin. Kanchan has accused him of subjecting Nikki to prolonged harassment during their marriage, which was into a family based in Sirsa. Nikki succumbed to her injuries on August 21, further fueling suspicions of foul play within the domestic setting. The case has taken a complicated turn as multiple videos and contradictory accounts continue to surface. One CCTV recording from a nearby shop appears to show Vipin standing outside the house at the time of the incident. Another video, reportedly captured by Kanchan, contains the voice of a woman questioning, “What have you done?” Police are currently working to verify whether the voice is indeed Kanchan’s.
Despite the emergence of this footage, Kanchan remains firm in her accusation that Nikki was a victim of domestic violence and that her final statements named Vipin as her attacker. She has also released screenshots allegedly showing Vipin’s inappropriate conversations with other women. On social media, she criticized how a single surveillance clip has shifted public sympathy toward the accused, questioning the logic of those who suggest Nikki set herself on fire to frame her husband. Vipin, along with his parents Daya and Satveer, and his elder brother Rohit, has been arrested. All four have been charged with murder and dowry-related offenses. Another video shows Nikki’s mother-in-law attempting to de-escalate a heated argument between Nikki and Vipin, at one point even slapping her own son when he tried to strike Nikki. Investigators are trying to confirm the timeline of this footage to better understand the household dynamics.
Further controversy surrounds the speed at which Nikki’s cremation was carried out. Sources claim her last rites were performed early the next morning, even before her family filed an official complaint. In one video, Vipin’s father is seen carrying out the cremation rituals, raising further questions about what occurred in the hours following Nikki’s death. Nikki’s cousin, Sunny Payla, has urged authorities to collect and analyze surveillance footage from within the family home, arguing that it will offer more clarity than the single external clip that has circulated publicly. He expressed concern that only selective footage has been shared and that the events leading up to the tragedy remain hidden from public view.
Police have so far recorded between 10 to 12 statements from both sides of the family. They are now working to reconstruct the timeline of events and resolve the inconsistencies that have emerged. Investigators noted that Kanchan’s testimony will be critical in bridging the gaps and clarifying the conflicting narratives at the heart of the case.