Nikki Bhati murder: Charge sheet reveals ‘meticulously planned’ plot by husband, in-laws at Noida house

Nikki Bhati murder

The 500-page charge sheet filed by the Kasna police in the Nikki Bhati murder case details a "meticulously coordinated conspiracy" by her husband and in-laws to burn her alive and disguise it as a cooking accident.

According to a report by The Times of India, Nikki Bhati, 26, of Greater Noida's Sirsa, it said, was taken to a hospital by the accused only to make it look like a rescue effort. The charge sheet named Nikki's husband Vipin, his mother Daya, father Satyaveer and elder brother Rohit as co-conspirators under BNS sections 103(1) (murder), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy).

According to the FIR lodged by Nikki’s sister, Kanchan, the attack occurred around 5:45 pm on August 21. Investigators say Nikki was overpowered, doused with an inflammable thinner and then set on fire inside her in-laws’ house.

As per the report, she was initially taken to Fortis Hospital in Greater Noida and later shifted to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi, where she died of burns covering 80% of her body. Police have alleged that her in-laws took her to the hospital only to create the illusion of a kitchen mishap, even though they knew her injuries were fatal.

From the beginning, the family insisted that Nikki had been injured in a gas cylinder blast — a version she also repeated to a doctor at Fortis in a statement that made its way into the hospital memo, the report added. However, police believe she may have spoken under pressure or in confusion while fighting for her life. The charge sheet notes that the post-mortem confirmed hypovolemic shock due to burn injuries as the cause of death, and forensic experts found no evidence of any explosion inside the house.

Forensic findings further stated there was “no indicator” of an accidental fire. Investigators say the medical and scientific evidence clearly contradicts the cylinder-blast claim. “All accused — Vipin, Daya, Satyaveer and Rohit — jointly conspired to eliminate Nikki. They planned her killing to avoid future disputes,” the charge sheet waqs quoted by the newspaper as saying.

According to police, Vipin — arrested a day after the incident — confessed to pouring thinner on Nikki and igniting it with a lighter allegedly handed to him by his mother. On August 24, he led the police to a green belt near the Dixon Company, where the discarded thinner bottle was recovered, now a key piece of forensic evidence.

Along with the bottle, investigators have included RFSL Ghaziabad’s chemical and toxicology reports on burnt clothing, melted materials and the lighter seized from the scene. Call detail records and the movement of Vipin and Rohit before and after the attack, as well as CCTV footage from Fortis Hospital and routes leading to Sirsa, also form crucial technical evidence.

The charge sheet also notes that Vipin deliberately stood near a CCTV camera outside the home and moved between locations to make it appear, through mobile phone data, that he was away from the house at the time of the attack.

"The family deliberately planned their movements to create digital alibis and mislead the investigation," the report stated.

The charge sheet also documents the statement of the couple’s six-year-old son, who has been listed as an eyewitness. The child told investigators that he saw Vipin assault Nikki before setting her on fire, and that his father escaped through a neighbour’s terrace immediately afterward. Following Vipin’s arrest, police detained Daya near JIMS Hospital and picked up Rohit near Sirsa village the same day. Satyaveer was arrested on August 25. Their statements — along with those of neighbours, panchayat members, Fortis Hospital staff and CCTV operators — form a significant part of the prosecution’s evidence.

According to the charge sheet, members of the panchayat informed police that Nikki and her sister Kanchan — who is married to Vipin’s brother and jointly ran a beauty parlour while creating Instagram content — often clashed with the family.

Both sisters had recently left their matrimonial homes after an argument and returned only after the panchayat intervened. Police said disagreements over Nikki’s independence and her social media activity were frequent sources of conflict.

The case file also includes a Crime and Tracking Network System (CTNS) report indicating that Vipin had several previous cases registered against him, pointing to a pattern of aggressive behaviour, according to police. Prosecution lawyers Udham Singh Tongad and Dinesh Kumar Kalson said they would oppose any bail plea and press for the maximum possible punishment. Meanwhile, Vipin’s lawyer, Amit Bhati Bodaki, said they would approach the High Court, maintaining they would pursue “justice” for his client.