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New Indian Express
2 days ago
- New Indian Express
Will challenge lower court verdict in HC, seek death penalty for convicts: Ankita Bhandari's parents
DEHRADUN: A bigger battle is yet to be fought to get the death penalty for the three men who killed our daughter, said Soni Devi, the mother of Ankita Bhandari who was murdered by a resort owner and his two employees in Uttarakhand in 2022. Hours after a district court in Kotwar on Friday sentenced the three men to rigorous life imprisonment in the case, Devi said that she was not satisfied with the lower court's verdict but it must have given some peace to the soul of her daughter. A bigger battle is yet to be fought so that the killers get the death penalty and people think a thousand times before doing this to anyone's daughter, said Devi as she broke into tears while talking to reporters after the verdict. Additional District and Sessions Judge Reena Negi convicted resort owner Pulkit Arya and his two employees Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta and sentenced them to life imprisonment The court also imposed a fine of Rs 72,000 on Arya and Rs 62,000 on each of the other two accused, Special Public Prosecutor Avnish Negi. Ankita (19), who worked as a receptionist at Vanantra Resort located in Yamkeshwar of Pauri district, was murdered on September 18, 2022 by Arya, Bhaskar and Gupta.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Ankita Bhandari murder case: Uttarakhand ex-minister's son, 2 others get lifer
Dehradun: An Uttarakhand court on Friday sentenced the three convicts to life imprisonment in the sensational Ankita Bhandari murder case in Pauri district in 2022. Additional District and Session Judge, Kotdwar, Reena Negi held Pulkit Arya, resort owner and son of a former BJP leader, and his two associates, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, guilty of murdering Ankita, who worked as a receptionist at Vanantra Resort located in Yamkeshwar. The court held the trio guilty under penal provisions dealing with murder (IPC Section 302), offence committed by an enforcing authority (Section 210b) and causing disappearance of evidence (Section 201). According to the police, Ankita,19, was killed on September 18, 2022 and her body was dumped in Chilla canal in Rishikesh, from where it was retrieved about six days after she went missing. According to the prosecution, Ankita and Pulkit Arya had a dispute over something, after which the man, along with Bhaskar and Gupta, allegedly pushed the woman into the canal. Resort owner Pulkit is the son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya who was a minister in the Uttarakhand government till 2021. The case had made national headlines after the local people came out and protested over the murder as the law enforcement agencies were dragging their feet on the probe into the murder. On Friday, the court resembled a fortress due to heightened security, with only lawyers and family members of the victim and convicts allowed to attend the proceedings. A ring of no-entry zone of 200 metre was also thrown around the court complex. The BJP had sacked Vinod Arya from the party after the controversy and the Uttarakhand government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter. The Uttarakhand court completed its hearing in the case on Monday, examining 47 witnesses during the hearing that lasted two years and eight months. On May 19, after hearing the closing arguments of both sides, the Judge had fixed May 30 as the date for pronouncing the verdict. According to the prosecution, Ankita Bhandari and Pulkit Arya had a dispute over something, after which the man, along with Bhaskar and Gupta, allegedly pushed the woman into the Cheela canal in Rishikesh. After Ankita Bhandari's lifeless body was fished out of the Cheela canal, the three men were arrested by the police and sent to prison. Fearing leniency for the accused and his accomplices due to his political connections, the residents of Pauri district came out in large numbers to protest, and the Uttarakhand government formed a SIT to probe the matter and take the case to its logical conclusion.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
'She wanted to escape': How 100 witnesses, exhaustive evidence exposed VIP cover-up, led to justice in Rishikesh resort murder case
NEW DELHI: The verdict arrived like a long-awaited storm in Kotdwar's courtroom, quiet but crushing. More than two years and eight months after a 19-year-old receptionist was murdered in cold blood, the gavel finally fell. Resort owner Pulkit Arya, along with Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, was sentenced to life imprisonment. For those who had followed the case, one that had stunned Uttarakhand and the nation, it was a grim vindication. The verdict, delivered by the additional district and sessions judge, came after a painstaking trial involving 47 witnesses, their testimonies stretching over nearly three years. The charges were as damning as the headlines that once blazed across national media. The trio stood convicted under multiple sections of murder, destruction of evidence, criminal conspiracy, and sexual harassment. The court also found them guilty under the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act, lending judicial weight to early suspicions that the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, where the victim worked, was a front for something far darker. One witness didn't mince words, calling the resort 'a den of vice.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo The girl had only been 19, employed at a property owned by Pulkit Arya, son of a now-expelled BJP leader. In the weeks before her death, she had reached out to those she trusted. A former colleague and a close friend both later revealed she had confided in them - terrified, desperate, and deeply uneasy. She told them she was being pushed to provide 'special services' to an incoming VIP guest. 'She wanted to escape from there,' said an officer from the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which later took over the probe. But she never got the chance. On September 18, 2022, she was killed for refusing those demands. Her body surfaced six days later, dumped in the Chilla canal. The crime, horrifying in its brutality and made more incendiary by the accused's political connections, lit a fuse of public outrage. Protests broke out across the state. A high-level investigation was ordered. At the centre of it all was the SIT, led by DIG P Renuka Devi. Their investigation produced a 500-page chargesheet. The evidence was exhaustive: about 100 witness statements and 30 pieces of documentary proof. Yet, it was two voices that ultimately helped crack the case wide open - the victim's confidantes. Her friend and the ex-employee both confirmed what she had feared: the resort was not what it seemed, and she was desperate to leave. Initially, much of what was known came from WhatsApp chats with her friend, some of which were later leaked online. But investigators discovered she had also spoken to the former employee, warning them about the illegal activities at the resort and her fear of being forced to serve a powerful, unnamed VIP. Senior officers later confirmed that narco-tests were requested for the accused in hopes of identifying this shadowy figure. His name, even today, remains unknown. When the day of the verdict arrived, Pauri Garhwal's courtroom was transformed. Security was tight. Officers from nearby districts were brought in. The area around the courthouse was designated a 'zero zone' - a perimeter of 100 metres where only government staff and approved attendees were allowed entry. Outside, emotions overflowed. Soni Devi, the victim's mother, broke down as she addressed the media. 'May the criminals be sentenced to death,' she told ANI. Her words rang heavy with grief and fury, echoing the pain that first gripped Uttarakhand back in 2022 and the demand for justice that never wavered.
News18
3 days ago
- News18
How A 19-Year-Old's Refusal Of ‘Special Services' Ended In Murder: The Ankita Bhandari Case
Last Updated: Pressured at a resort to provide 'special services' to VIPs, Ankita Bhandari was murdered for resisting. What followed exposed systemic failures & led to a 3-year fight for justice Nearly three years after the murder of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari sent shockwaves across Uttarakhand and the country, a Pauri district court on Friday sentenced all three accused to rigorous life imprisonment. The verdict, delivered by Additional District and Sessions Judge Reena Negi, found Pulkit Arya, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta guilty of murder and other serious offences. Ankita Bhandari, a resident of Dobh-Srikot village in Pauri Garhwal, had taken up a job as a receptionist at Vanantra Resort in Yamkeshwar, near Rishikesh, in August 2022. The resort was owned by Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader and ex-minister of state Vinod Arya. Ankita had reportedly taken the job after financial hardships forced her to leave her hotel management studies during the Covid-19 pandemic. Soon after joining, Ankita came under pressure from Pulkit Arya to provide 'special services" to resort guests — a euphemism for sexual favours — in exchange for money. She informed her friend Pushp that she was being offered Rs 10,000 to entertain a VIP guest but was unwilling to comply. According to police and prosecution, she also faced repeated molestation and harassment inside the resort. The accused allegedly feared she might expose their activities, which prosecutors later argued formed the motive behind the murder. On the night of September 18, 2022, following a confrontation with Pulkit Arya and his aides Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, Ankita was forcibly taken in a vehicle to the Chilla canal. Before being taken, she called Pushp at 8:32 pm and told him that the accused were with her and she was 'sensing some fear." Later that night, the three men pushed her into the fast-flowing water. Her body was recovered six days later, on September 24, after the trio confessed to killing her. The investigation initially faltered due to jurisdictional issues. As the resort fell under revenue police jurisdiction, the initial complaint was filed with the local Patwari, Vaibhav Pratap, who neither took action nor escalated the case. He went on leave shortly after. It was only on September 22, after mounting pressure from Ankita's family and friends, that the case was handed over to regular police. State Director General of Police Ashok Kumar admitted, 'The area where this resort, Vanantra, is located doesn't fall under regular police. We have a system of patwari (land revenue official) registering FIRs in such areas. He did register a 'missing person' FIR, filed by the resort owner himself." The delay cost investigators precious time. Vaibhav Pratap was later suspended and arrested for negligence and suspected collusion with the accused. The incident had raised concerns on the revenue police system in the state, and Assembly Speaker Ritu Khanduri had written to the CM, seeking the replacement of the Revenue police with regular police. A FAMILY'S FIGHT, A NATION'S OUTRAGE As Ankita's death became public, it sparked unprecedented public fury. Locals vandalised the Vanantra Resort and set parts of it on fire. The administration later bulldozed portions of the resort, a move that triggered controversy amid allegations of evidence destruction. Protests broke out across Uttarakhand and beyond, as the case exposed chilling details about sexual exploitation at the resort and alleged political shielding. Pulkit's father, Vinod Arya, who enjoyed the rank of minister of state in the previous BJP government, was expelled from the party, along with Pulkit's elder brother. Despite his expulsion, Vinod Arya publicly defended his son, stating: ' Seedha sadha balak hai (he is a simple boy). He is only concerned about his work. I want justice for both my son Pulkit and Ankita Bhandari." Ankita's funeral also became a point of controversy, as her mother, Soni Devi, later alleged that government officials and local authorities deliberately prevented her from attending the cremation under the pretext of medical attention. While they forcibly took her husband to the cremation site, she was taken from her remote village home to a hospital instead. In a video, she was seen stating: 'They took my husband along forcibly, but didn't take me. They brought me here from the forest where I live, saying I will see my daughter. Doctors then put me in a wheelchair. I asked why was it needed but they took me to a hospital. They then forcibly put me on intravenous sugar solution and started recording a video. I wasn't unwell at all. They tricked me into coming here. This is just for show, they have betrayed us." THE PROBE AND TRIAL Under mounting public and political pressure, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by DIG P Renuka Devi, to probe the case. Within 90 days, the SIT filed a 500-page chargesheet based on extensive evidence, including forensic reports, witness testimonies, digital chats, and audio recordings. According to the FIR quoted in court: 'The accused wanted to speak to the father of the deceased… (and) the deceased was further troubled due to this reason. One morning, the deceased was found missing from the resort. She was not in her room. During the investigation, it was revealed that the accused was molesting the deceased in the resort; they were pressuring her to give extra services to the guest, to which the deceased was not agreeable. The applicant (Ankit Gupta) and the co-accused had a sense of fear that perhaps the deceased might reveal it to others. According to the prosecution, on 18.09.2022, the applicant, along with the co-accused, took the deceased out of the resort, they killed the deceased and pushed her into a canal. The dead body of the deceased was recovered on 24.09.2022." One of the key pieces of evidence was audio clips of conversations between Pulkit Arya and Ankita's friend Pushp, in which Pulkit tried to mislead and deflect suspicion while Ankita remained missing. A petition seeking transfer of the case to the CBI was dismissed by the Uttarakhand High Court, which expressed satisfaction with the SIT's probe. The trial formally began on January 30, 2023, before the Additional District and Sessions Judge in Kotdwar. Over nearly three years, 47 witnesses were examined from among the 97 listed. On May 30, 2025, the court convicted Pulkit Arya under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 201 (destruction of evidence), 354A (molestation and sexual harassment), and provisions of the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act. Co-accused Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta were convicted under murder, destruction of evidence and immoral trafficking charges. All three were sentenced to rigorous life imprisonment. A FAMILY'S UNFINISHED FIGHT top videos View all After the verdict, Ankita's mother Soni Devi broke down and said: 'I request that the accused be hanged… I plead with my sisters that they support her (Ankita's) mother and father…" Her father Birendra Bhandari said: 'The way my daughter Ankita Bhandari was murdered by the three men, I have been reiterating – 'death for death'. We hope that all three are sentenced to death. As long as the accused are not hanged, we will have to protest and take to the streets." About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk More Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : Uttarakhand Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: May 30, 2025, 20:20 IST News india How A 19-Year-Old's Refusal Of 'Special Services' Ended In Murder: The Ankita Bhandari Case
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First Post
3 days ago
- First Post
Ankita Bhandari's killers get life term: How Uttarakhand receptionist was killed for refusing to 'serve' VIPs
A court in Uttarakhand's Pauri found three men guilty in the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case. The 19-year-old, who was working as a receptionist at Vanantra Resort, was killed by the resort owner, Pulkit Arya, and his employees – Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta. She was murdered for refusing to provide 'special services' to some guests read more A court in Uttarakhand's Pauri has sentenced three men to rigorous life imprisonment in the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case. Pulkit Arya, son of former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vinod Arya, and his two employees, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, were found guilty of murder on Friday (May 30). Additional District and Sessions Judge Reena Negi also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on all three convicts, prosecution lawyer Ajay Pant reportedly said. The murder case had sparked a huge outrage in Uttarakhand, leading to the BJP expelling Vinod Arya from the party. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But what had happened? We will explain. Ankita Bhandari murder case Ankita Bhandari, a receptionist at Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, was killed by the resort owner, Pulkit Arya, and his employees – Bhaskar and Gupta – on the night of September 18, 2022. According to the police, Pulkit killed Ankita, a resident of Dobh-Srikot village in Uttarakhand's Pauri Garhwal district, after she declined to provide 'special services' to some guests at the resort. After a heated exchange with Pulkit, Ankita was reportedly forced into a vehicle and later pushed into the Chilla canal. Her body was found in the canal on September 24, after the three accused confessed to the crime. How Ankita Bhandari was killed Ankita's disappearance was first noticed by her friend, Pushp, who said she had called him on the night of September 18. Ankita reportedly told him that she was being pressured by the accused to 'provide special services for a VIP' in exchange for Rs 10,000. It was Pushp who had told her about an opening at a resort in Rishikesh, which Ankita agreed to join. She became a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Pauri district's Yamkeshwar in August 2022. It was not even a month into her job and Ankita was murdered. Pushp told the court that he had last spoken to Ankita at 8:32 pm and she was 'sensing some fear' while in the presence of the accused. Her phone became unreachable after that. Pushp contacted Pulkit directly, who told him that Ankita had gone to her room. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The next morning, Pulkit's phone was also unreachable. Pushp and Ankita's family then approached the police, reported NDTV. 'The accused wanted to speak to the father of the deceased… (and) the deceased was further troubled due to this reason. One morning, the deceased was found missing from the resort. She was not in her room. During the investigation, it was revealed that the accused was molesting the deceased in the resort; they were pressuring her to give extra services to the guest, to which the deceased was not agreeable,' Indian Express reported, citing the FIR filed in the case. 'The applicant (Ankit Gupta) and the co-accused had a sense of fear that perhaps the deceased might reveal it to others. According to the prosecution, on 18.09.2022, the applicant, along with the co-accused, took the deceased out of the resort, they killed the deceased and pushed her into a canal. The dead body of the deceased was recovered on 24.09.2022.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Her post-mortem conducted by AIIMS Rishikesh revealed drowning as the cause of death. It also showed multiple injuries, including blunt force trauma that indicated physical assault, as per NDTV. Her viscera samples were also tested and did not show signs of sexual assault. Public outrage over Ankita Bhandari case The initial investigation into Ankita Bhandar's murder case has raised many questions. The night she was killed, the accused told the local Patwari (revenue police officer) that she was missing. However, the officer did not file a case. The Vanantra Resort, located in a semi-rural area, falls outside the jurisdiction of regular police. Patwari Vaibhav Pratap did not disclose the case to anyone and went on leave, as per the Indian Express report. As pressure from the public mounted and suspicion from Ankita's family and friends rose, the case was transferred to the regular police three days after her killing. Congress leader Harish Rawat with party workers takes part in a march demanding justice for Ankita Bhandari, who was murdered in September 2022, in Dehradun, January 17, 2024. File Photo/PTI After the case gained national limelight, the police arrested Pulkit, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta. The district administration also razed a part of the resort , leading to allegations that it was done to 'destroy' crucial evidence, reported Indian Express. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After Pulkit's arrest, Uttarakhand BJP expelled his father, Vinod, and elder brother from the party. Vinod Arya had served as a minister of state in the Trivendra Singh Rawat-led BJP government. The politician had defended his son, calling him a 'simple boy'. 'Seedha sadha balak hai (he is a simple boy). He is only concerned about his work. I want justice for both my son Pulkit and Ankita Bhandari,' Arya had said, inviting a severe backlash. The Uttarakhand government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case. Patwari Vaibhav Pratap was arrested by the SIT for negligence and allegedly siding with the accused. During the SIT probe, former employees are said to have alleged that Pulkit and Ankit Gupta frequently brought women to the resort. They also alleged that the female staff were subjected to verbal and physical abuse. More than 100 individuals, including resort employees, digital forensic experts and friends of Ankita, were interviewed. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In December 2022, the prosecution filed a 500-page chargesheet. The case's hearing went on for two years and eight months, during which 47 witnesses were examined. Ankita Bhandari's family gets justice On Friday, Pulkit was found guilty of IPC sections 302 (murder), 201 (concealing evidence), 354A (molestation and outraging the modesty of a woman) and the Immoral Trafficking Act. The accused Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta were convicted of murder, concealing evidence, and the Immoral Trafficking Act. #WATCH | Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand | The three accused in the Ankita Bhandari murder case, Pulkit Arya, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, are being taken to jail after the Kotdwar Court sentenced the three accused to rigorous life imprisonment — ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2025 Reacting to the verdict, Ankita's mother, Soni Devi, broke down and said, 'I request that the accused be hanged.' She also urged the people of Uttarakhand to continue supporting them. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies
