Dowry Death Case : Cylinder Blast Caused Burns, 28-Year-Old Nikki Bhati Told Doctors
New Delhi : In a fresh twist in the Greater Noida dowry death case, Nikki Bhati allegedly told doctors in her dying statement that she suffered burn injuries after a fire started at her in-laws’ residence due to a cylinder blast. The new revelation marks a shift from earlier allegations that Nikki, 26, was set on fire with a flammable liquid by her husband Vipin Bhati and his family over dowry demands.
Nikki died last week while being shifted to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital. Her postmortem report said she suffered 80% burns. Vipin, his parents, and brother Rohit, who is married to Nikki’s sister Kanchan, have been arrested in the case. In their statements, both the doctor and the nurse alleged that when Nikki was brought to the hospital, she was still talking. The memo from Fortis Hospital states in Hindi, “Ghar par gas cylinder phatne se mariz ko kaafi gambheer roop se jal gaya hai (The patient has suffered severe burn injuries due to a gas cylinder explosion).”
The CCTV footage of Fortis Hospital, checked by police, shows that Nikki’s neighbour, Devendra, drove the car. In the backseat were Nikki, her mother-in-law and father-in-law. Rohit was also seen in the CCTV footage. The FIR, which is based on the complaint filed by Kanchan, mentions that Nikki was deliberately set ablaze by her in-laws in front of her six-year-old son for not fulfilling their dowry demands.
Kanchan alleged that despite their family giving an SUV and other valuables at the time of marriage, Nikki’s in-laws kept demanding more dowry. Video clips that have emerged on social media show Nikki being assaulted and dragged by her hair by her in-laws.
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