Kotdwar: Three accused have been convicted in the murder case of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari in Uttarakhand. Ankita was murdered in 2022 by her employer, Pulkit Arya, and two other accused, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta. Pulkit is the son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya.
According to the police, Ankita was killed when she refused to provide “special services” to guests while working as a receptionist at Vanantra Resort in Rudraprayag. The accused confessed to their crime, following which Ankita’s body was found in the Chilla canal after she had been missing for several days, reports Dynamite News correspondent.
Pulkit was found guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including physical assault, murder, destruction of evidence, and charges under the Inhuman Traffic Prevention Act, as reported by a Dynamite News correspondent.
Who was Ankita, and what happened to her?
Ankita belonged to a poor family and was from Pauri in Uttarakhand. Her father worked as a security guard. Ankita had to quit her hotel management studies midway due to financial problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Later, through a friend, Pushp, she got a job as a receptionist at Vanantra Resort.
A month after joining her job, Ankita had told Pushp that the resort owner was forcing her to provide sexual services to a VIP guest for Rs 10,000. At 8:32 pm on the night of her death, Ankita spoke to Pushp and said she was feeling scared. The next day, she went missing.
According to the FIR, the accused were afraid that Ankita would expose their illegal activities. Fearing this, they took Ankita out of the resort on the night of September 18, murdered her, and dumped her body in the canal.
Events after the case
The case made national headlines, and the accused were arrested. The local administration partially demolished the resort, raising concerns that crucial evidence might be lost. The BJP expelled Pulkit’s father and brother from the party.
Initially, the case was reported to the local revenue police, but no action was taken. Patwari Vaibhav Pratap, who was informed about Ankita’s disappearance, took leave without reporting the case. He was later suspended and also arrested for negligence.