Uttar Pradesh Police shot accused Vipin Bhati in the leg on August 24, after he attempted to escape from custody. Bhati, a resident of Greater Noida, was arrested on August 23 for allegedly setting his 28-year-old wife Nikki on fire following a Rs 36 lakh dowry dispute. Police said the accused tried to flee, forcing officers to retaliate and open fire on his leg.
According to investigators, Nikki, who ran a beauty parlour to support her young son, had faced years of harassment from her husband and in-laws. Despite fulfilling several dowry demands, her family alleged that the torture continued.
On August 21, she was allegedly beaten and set on fire by her husband, with disturbing videos of the incident surfacing online, sparking outrage across Noida. Nikki succumbed to her injuries while being shifted from a private hospital in Noida to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital the same night.
Hours before the encounter, Nikki’s father Bhikari Singh Payla had publicly appealed to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, demanding that his son-in-law be “shot dead in an encounter.”
He said: “They are killers, they should be shot, their home razed. My daughter was raising her son by running a parlour. They tortured her for years, the whole family conspired, and they killed her.”
Singh accused the family of continuing harassment despite fulfilling dowry demands. In a heart-wrenching statement, he added, “They shoot pickpockets in the leg, and they won’t kill these murderers? This is a BJP government.”
Shockingly, Nikki’s elder sister, who is also married into the same family, was allegedly assaulted during the attack. This revelation has intensified demands for a thorough investigation into what many are calling a family-led conspiracy against the sisters.
Officials confirmed that Vipin Bhati is now under treatment and will remain in custody. “The accused attempted to flee, and in retaliation, police opened fire at his leg. He is stable and will face due process of law,” said a police spokesperson.
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