Twist In Nikki Bhati Murder Case As Family Settles With Her Inlaws

Nine months after 28-year-old Greater Noida resident Nikki Bhati died of severe burn injuries in her house, her family has reached a settlement with her in-laws, who are accused of setting her on fire for dowry, the woman s father said on Wednesday. Nikki s pa... Nine months after 28-year-old Greater Noida resident Nikki Bhati died of severe burn injuries in her house, her family has reached a settlement with her in-laws, who are accused of setting her on fire for dowry, the woman’s father said on Wednesday. Nikki’s parents-in-law agreed to transfer property to her son as part of the settlement, her father Bhikari Singh told HT. “Yes, we have reached a settlement. They have transferred the properties to Nikki’s son,” he said. This came as the Uttar Pradeshgovernment counsel said Nikki’s sister, Kanchan – who was married into the same family and is the prime witness in her sister’s murder – turned hostile before a local court in Noida about 20 days ago. The next hearing is scheduled on June 10. Kanchan, who was living with her parents in Roopvas village, willmove in with her husband in a new house in Dadri, said Singh. “There will be no interference from her in-laws in Kanchan’s married life,” he said. The settlement marks a sensational twist in a case that rocked the National Capital Region (NCR). Bhati died in Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital on August 21 last year, allegedly after her husband Vipin Bhati and his mother Daya Bhati poured an inflammable liquid onher and set her ablaze in their Greater Noida house, according to Kanchan’s police complaint. Kanchan also alleged that her husband Rohit Bhati and father-in-law Satveer watched on, adding that they beat her when she attempted to step in. However, Kanchan, in her latest statement, has told the court that nobody was in the house when the incident took place. Noida policefiled an FIR on August 22and investigations revealed that Vipin and the in-laws were against Nikki’s plan to reopen a salon she used to run. They were also reportedly angered by her social media activity, especially on Instagram, which she used to promote the salon. Police filed a case under sections 103 (murder), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against Vipin, Rohit, Satveer, and Daya at the Kasna police station. Vipin was arrested after a gunfight on August 24. His mother was arrested the same evening. Satveer and Rohit were held the next day. Investigators on November 20 filed a 173-page chargesheet, accusing all four of murder. A government counsel involved in the case said Kanchan “turned hostile a few weeks ago.” “Kanchan told the court that no one was inside the house when the incident took place. Nikki’s husband Vipin, father-in-law, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law were outside. So far, only her statement has been recorded,” said the counsel, who asked not to be named. “We will continue to fight the case, but when the prime victim turns hostile, it