Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday announced that the state government has recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case, The New Indian Express reported.
Bhandari worked as a receptionist at a resort in Uttarakhand’s Rishikesh that was owned by Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya. She went missing on September 18, 2022. A day later, Pulkit Arya, resort manager Saurabh Bhaskar and assistant manager Ankit Gupta filed a missing person report.
However, they later confessed to killing Bhandari by pushing her into a canal after an altercation. Bhandari’s body was recovered from the Chilla Canal in Rishikesh six days after she had gone missing.
The BJP expelled Vinod Arya and his other son Ankit Arya after the matter came to light.
Evidence recovered later, such as WhatsApp messages from Bhandari to a friend, seemed to show that the men were allegedly trying to force Bhandari into prostitution. It was claimed that she was killed for refusing to provide “special services” to a “VIP”.
In May 2025, Pulkit Arya, Bhaskar and Gupta were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Dhami’s announcement on Friday came two days after a meeting between the Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Bhandari’s parents. During this meeting, the parents handed Dhami a letter requesting a CBI investigation into her…
Source: Uttarakhand CM recommends CBI inquiry into 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case
