How cops nabbed the killers of Ankita Bhandari? Ex-BJP minister's son among three sentenced to life
Three including ex-BJP minister's son was sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in Uttarakhand for the murder of Ankita Bhandari | X, PTI
A court in Uttarakhand on Friday sentenced three accused in the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case to life imprisonment.
A fine of Rs 50,000 was imposed on all three convicts by Additional District and Sessions Judge Reena Negi. The court convicted the resort operator, Pulkit Arya and his two employees--Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta-- accused in the case.
Pulkita Arya is the son of the former BJP leader Vinod Arya.
What's the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case?
The incident took place in September 2022. Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist at Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, was found dead near Cheela canal.
According to the prosecution lawyer Ajay Pant, Bhandari and Arya, her employer, had a dispute over something and the three men accused pushed her into the canal.
Police had alleged that Arya allegedly killed Bhandari after she resisted his orders to provide "special services" to some of the guests at the resort.
Who was Ankita Bhandari?
Bhandari, a resident of Pauri, moved to the town related to her education. Birendra Bhandari, her father worked as a security guard. Following some financial issues during the Covid-19 pandemic, she was forced to drop out of her hotel management course.
Later, she took up a job at the resort in Rishikesh after her friend Pushp informed her about an opening.
Pushp alleged that Arya was pressurising her to provide 'VIP special services' in exchange for Rs 10,000. He had told the court that the last time they spoke, Bhandari mentioned that Arya was with her and she was "sensing fear".
She then went missing on September 18 and her body was recovered on September 24.
The police had taken Arya and his associates into custody following the incident. A section of the resort was demolished after the murder triggered protests by locals. A special investigation team was constituted by the state government to probe the case.
Following his son Arya's arrest, the Uttarakhand BJP expelled his father, Vinod, and elder brother from the party. Vinod Arya was also the former minister of state in the Trivendra Singh Rawat-led BJP government.
The hearing of the case lasted for two years and eight months.
India