NOIDA: A 26-year-old woman, allegedly tortured and set on fire by her husband and in-laws over dowry eight years into her marriage, died after battling severe burns for hours earlier this week in Greater Noida’s Sirsa village.Police said her husband, Vipin, was taken into custody on Thursday, while her mother-in-law, father-in-law and brother-in-law, also accused in the case, remain on the run. Additional DCP Sudhir Kumar said the woman, Nikki, was admitted to Fortis Hospital with severe burns on Aug 21 evening before being shifted to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital, but died on the way. The case was registered after her sister, Kanchan, lodged a complaint.Both sisters had been married in 2016 to two brothers—Kanchan to Rohit, and Nikki to Vipin. Kanchan alleged her family had already gifted a Scorpio car and other valuables at the time of marriage, but the in-laws continued to demand Rs 36 lakh. Another car was later given, but the demands persisted. “They tortured Nikki regularly, and when I tried to intervene, they beat me too—sometimes even in front of our children,” Kanchan told police, adding that she too has been harassed and assaulted by her in-laws for dowry.
She added that Vipin, who was unemployed and addicted to alcohol, frequently assaulted Nikki, often encouraged by his parents. The couple’s disputes had been raised before the local panchayat several times, but the abuse continued. On Aug 21, Kanchan alleged, Vipin assaulted both sisters before striking Nikki on the neck, causing her to collapse. “He then poured an inflammable substance on her and set her ablaze,” she claimed.Videos of the alleged harassment, reviewed by police, show Nikki being beaten and dragged by her husband and mother-in-law as others looked on. Nikki was rushed to the hospital by neighbours and her sister, but could not survive the extensive burns. Police got to know after they received a memo from a hospital about a woman being admitted with serious burn injuries. A murder case was registered against Vipin, his brother Rohit, and their parents, Daya and Satveer, under BNS sections 103(1) (murder), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy). Cops said dowry harassment charges under BNS Section 80 have not been added to the FIR yet.”The other accused are absconding, and multiple teams have been deployed to arrest them,” Additional DCP Kumar said.
