Murder of Ankita Bhandari

Ankita Bhandari (11 November 2003 – 18 September 2022) was an Indian receptionist from Pauri who was allegedly raped and subsequently murdered at the Vanantra Resort in Ganga-Bhogpur in Rishikesh ,[1] Uttarakhand. The case gained much publicity in national and state media due to its disastrous mismanagement and supposed involvement of a politically influential 'VIP' in sex coercion, but no identification has been made. The theory is supported by statements of her mother. Though the chats presented in the Chargesheet, did not mention any specific VIP Angle.[2]

Three main accused Pulkit Arya (owner of the resort),[3] Ankit Gupta (Assistant Resort Manager) and Saurabh Bhaskar (Resort Manager) confessed to the murder and are facing trial on charges of abduction and murder. [4][5] BJP MLA Renu Bisht was also accused in court for attempting to cover up the crime by having ordered an unlawful demolition of the resort.

The primary accused, Pulkit Arya, is the son of Vinod Arya, a BJP senior worker from Haridwar, he was a former chairperson of Uttarakhand Mati Kala Board, and is the younger brother of Ankit Arya, then the Vice President of Uttarakhand OBC Commission.

Ankita Bhandari
अंकिता भंडारी
Born(2003-11-11)11 November 2003
Died18 September 2022(2022-09-18) (aged 18)
Rishikesh,Uttarakhand, India
Cause of deathMurder (Drowning)
Body discovered24 September 2022
Chilla Canal, Rishikesh, India
OccupationHotel Receptionist
Known forMurder victim
  1. ^ "Ankita Bhandari murder: Allegations of 'illegal activities' at Uttarakhand resort under SIT scanner". Hindustan Times. 28 September 2022. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Fact Finding report on Ankita Bhandari Murder Case" (PDF). CounterCurrents.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-02-14.
  3. ^ "Uttarakhand Police File Chargesheet Against Pulkit, Co-Accused In Ankita Bhandari Murder Case". IndiaTimes. 17 December 2022. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Ankita Bhandari murder: 3 key accused Pulkit Arya, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta remanded in SIT custody". The Economic Times. 2022-10-01. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  5. ^ Sharma, Sheenu; News, India TV (2022-12-15). "Ankita Bhandari murder case: Special Investigation Team to file charge sheet against three accused this week". www.indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 2024-05-03. {{cite web}}: |last2= has generic name (help)