In a sensational revelation in the Nikki Yadav murder case, Delhi Police sources said on Monday that accused Sahil Gehlot’s father Virender had been arrested in a murder case earlier. The police, in their attempt to collect evidence, took the arrested accused along with Sahil to the dhaba, where he had stored Nikki’s body in a fridge, to recreate the crime scene, sources said.
The police had produced Sahil’s father, Virender, two cousins, Ashish and Naveen, and two friends, Amar and Lokesh, at the residence of the duty magistrate on February 17. According to the police, three years ago, Sahil and Nikki got married in a temple, and Nikki had invited her family members to attend the wedding. However, Nikki’s family members did not approve of the marriage due to different castes.
Meanwhile, the police discovered the involvement of Sahil’s father, cousin and two friends as well and when the police arrested them and interrogated them. The answers during their interrogation were different from those in Sahil’s statement, sources said. “For this reason, the very next day after the arrest, the police took them to the dhaba of Mitrau village, where Sahil had kept Nikki’s dead body in the fridge,” they added.
According to the police, Sahil’s friends had told that Nikki and Sahil had wanted to get married for a long time and they finally did in the year 2020 when they lived in Greater Noida. “This is why the police took the accused Sahil to the house in Noida where they lived. The neighbours were also questioned,” sources said.
The investigation so far has revealed that Nikki’s family members were aware of her marriage, though they have denied it since the beginning. The police have also recorded his statement in this regard. The police are currently examining the phone logs and data of the accused to find out who was involved in the conspiracy and how they planned the murder, sources said.
The Dwarka court on February 15 granted five days’ remand of Sahil Gahlot to Delhi Police Crime Branch to interrogate him and to ascertain the route where he went after the commission of the crime. Nikki was strangled to death allegedly by her partner after she came to know of his impending marriage with another woman, police said. Sahil was arrested on February 14 by the Crime Branch.
The accused was getting engaged on February 9. The accused went to meet Nikki at her flat and left early in the morning. They went to many places in Delhi, during which there was an argument about his marriage. During this, he got angry and strangled the victim with a mobile cable, according to the DCP Crime Branch. “After that, he kept the victim’s body in the refrigerator in a dhaba in Mitraon village, and then the accused went to his marriage.” “We are investigating this case deeply,” he added.
