Dowry death accused tries to flee, shot in leg

A man accused of killing his wife by setting her on fire over a dowry demand of Rs 36 lakh was allegedly shot in the leg by the police in Noida on Sunday after he attempted to escape from custody.

The accused, Vipin Bhati, a resident of Sirsa village in Greater Noida, tried to flee around 1.30 pm while being escorted for a routine medical examination. He was chased and apprehended after being shot in the leg, an officer said. Bhati was later produced before a local court, which remanded him in 14-day police custody. Another accused in the case has also been arrested.

The horrific crime came to light on Saturday after disturbing videos surfaced on social media purportedly showing Bhati and another woman assaulting his wife, Nikki, dragging her by the hair and beating her. Another clip showed Nikki, severely burnt, walking down a staircase before collapsing. She succumbed to her injuries on Thursday night while being rushed to the hospital.

The brutality was captured on video by Nikki’s elder sister, Kanchan, who is married into the same family. In her complaint, she alleged that Nikki had been tortured for days by her in-laws over the dowry demand.

“They hit her on the head and neck, poured acid and then set her on fire in front of her child,” Kanchan told reporters. She also alleged that she was beaten unconscious when she tried to intervene, claiming that the family wanted Nikki out of the way so Vipin could remarry.

Additional DCP Sudhir Kumar said the police were first alerted when Fortis Hospital informed them that a woman with severe burn injuries had been admitted and referred to Safdarjung Hospital. “The police immediately rushed to Safdarjung, but she died before our team could reach,” he said.

Nikki, who married Bhati in 2016, leaves behind a young son. She was cremated by her family amid grief and anger. Based on Kanchan’s complaint, the police have registered a case against Bhati and his family members at the Kasna police station under charges of dowry death, torture and criminal conspiracy. Bhati remains under treatment in custody, while efforts are underway to trace and arrest the other accused family members.