Nikki Yadav murder: Sahil and Nikki got married in a temple 3 years back, according to the police (File)
The father of Nikki Yadav's partner, who killed her and stuffed her body in a fridge at a roadside restaurant owned by his family in Delhi, had been arrested in a murder case earlier, said police sources on Monday.
The police have taken Sahil Gehlot and his father Virender to the dhaba where Nikki's body was found in a fridge, to recreate the crime scene, sources said.
The police produced Virender, Sahil's two cousins Ashish and Naveen, and two friends Amar and Lokesh, at the residence of the Duty Magistrate on Friday.
Sahil and Nikki got married in a temple three years back, according to the police. Nikki had invited her family to the wedding but they did not approve of the marriage due to caste differences.
Suspecting the involvement of Sahil's father, cousins, and two friends, the police had interrogated them too and arrested them after finding their answers contradicting Sahil's statement, said sources.
A day after their arrest, the police took them to the dhaba where Sahil had stuffed Nikki's body in a fridge, they added.
According to the police, his friends said Nikki and Sahil got married in 2020 when they lived in Greater Noida.
"This is why the police took 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 are currently examining the phone logs and data of the accused to find out who were involved in the conspiracy and how they planned the murder, sources said.
Sahil Gehlot was remanded to five days' police custody last week.
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 last Tuesday.
The accused got engaged on February 9. Before that, he went to meet Nikki at her flat. They left early in the morning and visited many places in Delhi, during which there was an argument over his engagement with another woman. During this, he got angry and strangled Nikki with a charging cable, said police.
"After that, he kept the victim's body in the refrigerator in a dhaba in Mitraon village and then went to his wedding," he added.