In a shocking incident in Greater Noida, 28-year-old Nikki Bhati was allegedly set ablaze by her husband, Vipin Bhati, following an argument over her posting reels on Instagram and her decision to reopen a beauty parlour she had previously run. Police said the altercation on August 21 escalated quickly, leading to the fatal attack.
“Investigation revealed that around 3.30pm, Nikki told Vipin that she and her sister would reopen the parlour. When he refused, Nikki said that no one could stop them from reopening, which Bhati opposed,” Kasna station house officer Dharmendra Shukla said.
According to police, Vipin opposed his wife’s social media activity and beauty business, claiming such work was not permitted in their family. Nikki was rushed to multiple hospitals with severe burn injuries but was declared dead at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital the same day.
The victim’s sister, Kanchan, who also ran the parlour business under the social media handle Makeover by Kanchan, demanded justice in a video posted online.
Accused Tries to Escape, Shot by Police; Mother-in-Law Held
Earlier on Sunday, while being taken to recover the flammable material used in the crime, Vipin attempted to flee police custody by snatching a service pistol. “The suspect, Bhati, snatched a police pistol in an attempt to escape. In retaliatory fire, he suffered a bullet injury to his legs and was taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment,” said Greater Noida additional deputy commissioner of police Sudhir Kumar.
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Later in the evening, police arrested Nikki’s mother-in-law, Daya Bhati, 55, in connection with the case. Nikki’s father-in-law, Satyaveer Bhati, and brother-in-law Rohit Bhati have also been named in the FIR.
The victim’s family alleged that Nikki was murdered due to dowry demands that persisted since her marriage in December 2016. Her brother, Rohit Gurjar, said, “In the nine years of marriage, Nikki returned home multiple times due to dowry disputes, but it was later resolved.”
Videos from the day of the incident surfaced on social media, showing Vipin pouring liquid on Nikki, assaulting her, and her running engulfed in flames. The family said they recorded the videos to gather evidence of years of abuse.
Police registered a case under Section 103 (murder), Section 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), and Section 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Kasna police station. Investigations are ongoing, with efforts to arrest remaining accused family members.
