Noida: The tragic death of 28-year-old Nikki Bhati in Greater Noida has taken another turn after police ruled out the theory of a cylinder blast, instead pointing to strong evidence of foul play. Nikki, who suffered fatal burn injuries on August 21 at her home in Sirsa, was allegedly set on fire by her husband Vipin and in-laws.
Investigators say an empty thinner bottle and a lighter recovered from the house have emerged as key pieces of evidence. Videos recorded by Nikki’s sister Kanchan, who was present at the scene, have also become central to the probe. Nikki and Kanchan were both married into the Bhati family in 2016, to two brothers.
“Didn’t want anyone to be jailed…”
The case gained attention after it emerged that Nikki herself had told hospital staff that her injuries were caused by a cylinder blast. Police now believe she deliberately avoided blaming her in-laws. Kasna SHO Dharmendra Shukla said Nikki might have concealed the truth as she did not want anyone jailed. Investigators also suspect she may have wanted to protect her sister, since she too was married into the same household.
A police inspection of the kitchen showed no sign of an explosion. Instead, the thinner bottle and lighter were sent for forensic testing. Her autopsy confirmed death due to burn injuries. Nikki’s family initially resisted a post-mortem but agreed after police intervention.
Kanchan later told police she heard her sister’s screams and rushed to find her engulfed in flames on the stairs, while Vipin stood nearby. She tried to extinguish the fire while recording the incident on her phone, before fainting. Nikki was rushed to hospital but did not survive.
The case continues to evolve with new evidence, including CCTV footage purportedly showing Vipin near a shop around the time of the incident, and the hospital memo that mentioned a cylinder blast. All of Vipin’s immediate family members — his mother Daya, father Satveer, and brother Rohit, who is also Kanchan’s husband — have now been arrested.