Uttar Pradesh woman burnt to death over dowry: husband and family arrested

25 August 2025 , 17:16

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Uttar Pradesh woman burnt to death over dowry: husband and family arrested

Police officials in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh made multiple arrests on Monday after a woman was allegedly killed over dowry demands by her husband and his family.

According to the complaint filed by 26-year-old Nikki Payla’s family, she was burnt to death by her husband Vipin Bhati on Thursday in the Greater Noida region near the capital Delhi after he was unable to obtain Rs 3.5m and a luxury car from her family as dowry, police said.

The Uttar Pradesh police said they arrested the main accused, Payla’s husband Bhati, on Sunday and shot him in the leg when he allegedly tried to escape from their custody. The police officials also arrested Mr. Bhati’s mother, who has also been accused of assaulting and torturing the woman.

On Monday, police officials made further arrests and apprehended Mr. Bhati’s father Satya Veer, 55, and his brother Rohit Bhati, 28, at Sirsa Chauraha in the same state, they said.

The police were alerted about the case on Thursday when they received a memo from a private hospital regarding a woman who was being referred to a government hospital in Delhi after suffering major burn injuries.

“We received a memo from Fortis Hospital at Kasna police station that a woman was admitted after she suffered severe burn injuries and was later referred to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi,” said Sudhir Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police Greater Noida, reported The Indian Express.

The young woman died on her way to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi, police officials said.

Mr. Kumar added that initially, it seemed the woman was set ablaze using highly flammable paint thinner. He added that the police are investigating the death from all angles and have also taken the videos shared by her family members into consideration. Payla’s sister, Kanchan, who is married to Vipin’s younger brother Rohit, shared videos of the alleged assault which have been circulated on social media.

“We received a complaint from her sister against her in-laws and husband, and filed the First Information Report,” said police official Dharmendra Shukla.

Elizabeth Baker

Technology & Business Editor