Greater Noida: A man accused of murdering his wife in Greater Noida wrote an emotional social media post hours before his arrest, suggesting that she had died by suicide and claiming he was being falsely labelled as a killer.

Police have booked him in a murder case after his wife, Nikki, aged 28, died of burn injuries last week.

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Husband’s post before arrest

The accused, identified as Vipin Bhati, was arrested on Saturday after videos surfaced showing him brutally assaulting Nikki. Hours earlier, at around 1:00 am, Bhati posted on Instagram, “Why didn’t you tell me what had happened? Why did you leave me? Why did you do this? The world is calling me a killer, Nikki.”

In another post, he wrote, “Mere saath bahut galat ho raha hai tere jaane ke baad” (I am being wronged since you left). Bhati, who describes himself as an advocate on social media, also shared a video of himself with Nikki and their son, captioned, “I am devastated (‘main barbaad ho gaya’). I am left with nothing.”

Murder Allegations & Police Encounter

The incident took place on Thursday, August 21, at the couple’s residence in Greater Noida’s Sirsa, where Nikki was allegedly assaulted by her husband and another woman before being set on fire. Disturbing videos showed Bhati dragging her by the hair and later, Nikki with severe burn injuries. She succumbed while being transferred from Fortis Hospital, Noida, to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi.

Nikki’s elder sister, Kanchan, alleged long-standing dowry harassment since Nikki’s marriage in 2016. She claimed the in-laws had demanded Rs 36 lakh and said both she and Nikki were beaten on the night of the incident. Nikki’s young son also told police that his father had set his mother on fire.

In a dramatic turn on Sunday, August 24, police said Bhati was shot in the leg while attempting to escape custody. Officials confirmed he was injured during an encounter after trying to flee.