Ankita Bhandari murder: EX-BJP leader's son, associates awarded life imprisonment
30 May 2025

The three accused in the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case Pulkit Arya, Saurabh Bhaskar, and Ankit Gupta, have been found guilty by a court in Uttarakhand.

They have been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Bhandari, who worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, was allegedly murdered by the resort owner Arya and his two associates after she refused to offer "extra services" to VIP guests.

Details of Ankita Bhandari's murder case
Case background

Her body was found in the Chilla canal on September 24, 2022, after the trio had reported her "missing" six days ago.

According to the prosecution, Bhandari and Arya had a disagreement, following which the man, together with Bhaskar and Gupta, pushed the woman into the Cheela canal near Rishikesh.

After her body was fished out of the Cheela canal, the three men were arrested by the police and sent to prison.

Trial began in January 2023
Trial

The case was initially investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police P Renuka Devi.

The trial began on January 30, 2023.

A 500-page chargesheet was filed by the prosecution after the SIT investigation, and in the hearing that lasted for about two years and eight months, 97 were named as witnesses, 47 of whom were deposed during the trial.

Murder sparked massive outrage
Who is

The murder sparked massive outrage, with angry villagers setting fire to the resort.

Later, officials demolished parts of the resort, claiming they were built unlawfully.

Arya is the son of Vinod Arya, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, who was later expelled from the party after the controversy erupted.

Ankit Arya, brother of Arya, was also relieved by the state government from the post of Deputy Chairman of the Uttarakhand Other Backward Classes Commission.