The Delhi Police on Saturday said it has arrested accused Sahil Gehlot's father and four others in the Nikki Yadav murder case.
Nikki Yadav was allegedly killed by 24-year-old Sahil Gehlot. The Delhi Police has now said that the two had got married in 2020.
The Delhi Police on Saturday said it has arrested accused Sahil Gehlot's father and four others in the Nikki Yadav murder case.
Yadav was allegedly murdered by Gehlot. After arrested Gehlot on Tuesday, the Delhi Police has now arrested his father Virender Singh, two cousins, and a friend in case.
Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Yadav said, "All five co-accused including the father Virender Singh, two cousins Ashish and Naveen and two friends Amar and Lokesh of Sahil Gehlot were thoroughly interrogated and arrested after verifying and ascertaining their role in connection with the killing."
SCP Yadav said Gehlot's cousin Naveen is a constable in Delhi Police.
Initially, it was said that Gehlot allegedly murdered Yadav as she was opposed to his marriage and she was his live-in partner.
However, it has now emerged that Yadav and Gehlot were actually married, according to Delhi Police, which says the two had already solemnised their marriage in 2020.
She was actually his wife and not a live-in partner, said SCP Yadav, adding that therefore she was pleading with him not to go ahead with the marriage fixed by his family with another woman on February 10.
"Accordingly, Sahil Gehlot executed the plan and murdered her and informed the other co-accused persons about it on the same day ie February 10 and then all of them went ahead with the marriage ceremony," said SCP Yadav.
Several other charges including those of criminal conspiracy, destruction of evidence, and harbouring a criminal have been added to the FIR, police said.
The incident had come to light on February 14, Valentine's Day, four days after the fact, when Gehlot under police custody confessed to the crime and led police to the fridge in his eatery where he had been hiding the body.
Nikki Yadav, 23, was allegedly killed by 24-year-old Sahil Gehlot.
Sahil allegedly strangled Yadav to death in his car near Kashmere Gate in Delhi. After he killed her, the Delhi Police said Sahil stuffed her body inside a refrigerator of his dhaba (eatery) in southwest Delhi and went off to marry another woman the same day.
The Delhi Police earlier said Sahil drove around 30-40 km to his dhaba along with her body in his car. The car used in the commission of crime has been seized by the police.
The alleged murder took place on the intervening night of February 9 and 10 when the victim confronted the accused about his marriage, a senior police officer said, adding that he killed her using the data cable of his mobile phone in his car and then kept the body in the refrigerator.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has sought a report from Delhi Police in the Nikki Yadav murder case.
Sources from NCW told PTI that the body has sought a report from the Delhi Police commissioner on the matter.
"How heartless a person can be? Not only he killed his live-in partner but got married to another girl the same day. What is the role of parents that we need to look into also have to work out on the mindset of families who think children are their properties," tweeted NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma.
Nikki Yadav's family members have demanded that accused Sahil Gehlot be hanged to death for the alleged murder.
While leaving their hometown, Yadav's father Sunil Yadav, who runs a motor vehicle repair business in Gurugram, told mediapersons, "Our daughter is gone. She is no more. All we want now is justice. The culprit should be awarded the strictest punishment and should be hanged to death for his brutal crime."
Earlier, Nikki's elder cousin Jagdish Yadav said they were not aware about her relationship with Sahil Gehlot nor had she ever told any member of her family about the man.
(With PTI inputs)