Would’ve supported her if we knew she married: Nikki Yadav’s kin

The family of Nikki Yadav, who was killed by her partner Sahil Gehlot on February 10, on Sunday said that they were not aware that the two had married, but added that they would have wholeheartedly accepted their union as they were not “narrow-minded”.

Gehlot allegedly murdered Yadav on February 10 in the parking lot of Delhi’s Nigambodh Ghat crematorium. He then drove more than 40km to his village Mitraon in north-west Delhi. He left the car, with the body in it, at an eatery owned by his family. He married another woman the same evening — this match was arranged by his family — and returned to his eatery late that night to stuff the body into a refrigerator.

Three years earlier, Gehlot and Yadav had gotten married in a secret ceremony at an Arya Samaj Mandir in Noida in October 2020, Delhi Police said. However, Gehlot ‘s family knew he and Yadav were married, and were complicit in the murder conspiracy, and in helping him tamper with evidence, police said.

Also Read: Gehlot’s kin gave go ahead to kill Yadav on engagement day: Cops

On Sunday, Yadav’s father Sunil Yadav said, “Had we been aware of their relationship, we would have happily accepted their marriage. We are not a narrow-minded family and would have accepted them wholeheartedly.”

Sunil Yadav said there are many unanswered questions about the case, including where the two were for in the hours leading up to the murder, which purportedly took place at around 9.30am.

“My younger daughter told police that Gehlot had come to their apartment in Uttam Nagar a day before the murder, and they had packed to leave for Goa… Where my was daughter all night is yet not clear,” he said.

According to police, Gehlot’s family members decided in the first week of February that Yadav must be killed, and added that one of these people, a cousin, was a Delhi Police constable who played an active role in the conspiracy.

Also Read: Kill, marry, conceal: Sahil took a ‘wedding break’ during crime

Noting that five members of Gehlot’s family have also been arrested for his daughter’s murder, Sunil Yadav alleged that the murder was pre-planned and Gehlot had visited their apartment with the intention to kill Nikki Yadav. “Police told us that on the morning after the murder, he met his cousins and friends, and his father was constantly in touch with him over the phone. Police have told us that he had informed his father about the murder,” he said.

After the death of one daughter, Sunil Yadav is now worried about his younger daughter, 22, who is likely the last person to see Nikki Yadav alive before she was murdered. Both he and his daughter are scheduled to record their statements before a magistrate in Dwarka court under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

A senior police officer of Delhi police said that the statement of Sunil Yadav and his younger daughter were recorded on Saturday under section 161 of the CrPC. “They have been asked to record their statements before a court in Dwarka on Monday under section 164 CrPC which is admissible as per the law,” the officer said.

Police are also examining the role of other members of Gehlot’s family. “As soon as we will get concrete evidence against them, police will arrest them. Since the probe underway, we are unable to divulge name of other suspects,” the officer said, requesting anonymity.