Pulkit and three others were arrested by the state's police on Friday for murdering Ankita, who worked as a receptionist at a resort in the Laxman Jhula area. (ANI)Hours after the body of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari was recovered from a canal in Uttarakhand’s Rishikesh on Saturday, locals set fire to the resort at which she worked. The resort was owned by Pulkit Arya, the son of former Uttarakhand BJP minister Vinod Arya and the main accused in the teenager’s murder case.
Ankita’s mortal remains were recovered from Chilla canal in Rishikesh, police officers told news agency ANI. “The deceased’s brother and father were here and they identified the body,” an officer said. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to probe the case.
Pulkit and two others were arrested by the police on Friday for murdering Bhandari, who worked as a receptionist at Vanantra Resort in the Laxman Jhula area. The accused, including the manager of resort, had confessed to having pushed the woman into a canal following an altercation, the police said.
Meanwhile, Pulkit’s brother, Aryan, was removed as the deputy chairman of the state OBC commission on Saturday.
#AnkitaBhandari murder case | Locals set Vanatara resort in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand on fire.
The resort is owned by BJP leader Vinod Arya’s son Pulkit Arya. Three accused, including Pulkit, have been arrested in connection with the murder case. pic.twitter.com/FpPIoioC4f
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) September 24, 2022
Announcing that an SIT had been set up to probe the murder case, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami tweeted Saturday, “The body of daughter Ankita was recovered this morning. My heart is deeply pained by this heart-breaking incident. In order to ensure the harshest punishment for the culprits, an SIT has been formed under the leadership of Deputy Inspector General of Police P Renuka Devi ji and an in-depth investigation has been ordered into this serious matter,” he said.
आज प्रातः काल बेटी अंकिता का पार्थिव शव बरामद कर लिया गया। इस हृदय विदारक घटना से मन अत्यंत व्यथित है।
दोषियों को कड़ी से कड़ी सजा दिलाने हेतु पुलिस उपमहानिरीक्षक पी. रेणुका देवी जी के नेतृत्व में SIT का गठन कर इस गंभीर मामले की गहराई से जांच के भी आदेश दे दिए हैं।
— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) September 24, 2022
Dhami also instructed district magistrates to investigate resorts across the state and ensure that necessary action is taken against those operating illegally.
More details awaited