Sahil deleted WhatsApp chats and other data from Nikki Yadav's phone

Accused Sahil Gehlot, was sent to five-day police custody for interrogation for killing his live-in partner and stuffing her body into a fridge in southwest Delhi, had deleted all data including WhatsApp chats between them on Nikki Yadav's phone.

Nikki Yadav was allegedly strangled to death by Gehlot who stuffed her body inside a refrigerator of his dhaba (eatery) in southwest Delhi. The crime came to light only on February 14 when the body of 23-year-old Nikki Yadav was recovered from the refrigerator following Gehlot's questioning, police claimed.

During the interrogation, Gehlot told police that he deleted all data including WhatsApp chats between them on Yadav's phone.

Sahil Gehlot killed Nikki Yadav in a parking lot near Nigambodh Ghat between 8.30-9.00 am on Feb 10.

''Accused Sahil Gehlot has revealed that Nikki Yadav was with him on the night of on February 9, both of them roamed around for many hours, after which he killed her in a parking lot near Nigambodh Ghat between 8.30-9.00 am on Feb 10,''ANI quoted sources as saying.

Notably, during the police interrogation, Sahil had earlier said that after the engagement party, he had gone to Nikki Yadav's rented house in Uttam Nagar. During his stay there, Yadav had allegedly managed to convince Gehlot to go on a short trip to Himachal Pradesh before his marriage on February 10.

Delhi Police Crime Branch is examining CCTV footage

''The accused Sahil also deleted all data including WhatsApp chats between them on Yadav's phone. Delhi Police Crime Branch is examining CCTV footage of Uttam Nagar-Nizamuddin-Kashmere Gate. Police have questioned a few people living near Yadav's rented accommodation in Uttam Nagar,'' ANI quoted sources as saying. In the viral clip, Nikki Yadav is seen walking up the stairs. She is seen alone in the video captured on February 9 at around 1:10 pm. It is footage that was captured hours before she was killed by her live-in partner.

The incident came to light on February 14, after police recovered the body of the 23-year-old woman Nikki Yadav after Sahil Gehlot was questioned.

Live-in relationship turns sour

Sahil Gahlot revealed that he had met the Nikki Yadav in 2018, when he had started preparing for SSC exams at Career Point Coaching Centre at Uttam Nagar. Back then, Yadav was also preparing for a medical entrance examination at Akash Institute in the same area.

The duo used to travel together to Uttam Nagar in the same bus, and they became friends, and later on fell in love. They used to meet before and after the coaching classes.

In February 2018, the accused took admission in D. Pharma in Galgotia College at Greater Noida and she also took admission in the same college in BA (English Hons.). Thereafter, both of them started living together at Greater Noida in a rented house. They became very close to each other and also travelled to several places such as Manali, Haridwar, Rishikesh and Dehradun. However, during Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, they returned to their homes and after the end of the lockdown, they again started living together in a rented house in Dwarka area.

Nikki was putting pressure on him to tie the knot, but his family had found another alliance for him. He got engaged to the girl choose by his family on February 9 and this led to an argument between them.

Police suspect that he wanted to get rid of his live-in-partner and was trying to mislead her by assuring her that they would go for a trip, officials said. "He said he was in double mind. These are all his version because through local enquiries, we came to know that he was dancing and having fun during his engagement. So, it is important to corroborate his version with strong evidence including CCTVs, technical evidence along with forensic examination to make this a strong case. The exact time when he killed her has not been revealed by him yet," the officer said.

Yadav's body was recovered on Tuesday morning from the refrigerator at the eatery, four days after the murder.