In a major judgment in the Ankita Bhandari murder case, the Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADJ) Court in Kotdwar on Friday sentenced all three accused—resort owner Pulkit Arya, and his associates Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta—to life imprisonment. Pulkit is also the son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya.
The trio was convicted under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Section 302 (murder), Section 201 (destruction of evidence), Section 120B (criminal conspiracy), Section 354A (sexual harassment), as well as provisions of the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act. The verdict comes nearly two years after the brutal murder of the 19-year-old receptionist sparked widespread outrage across Uttarakhand.
Ankita Bhandari, a resident of Pauri district, worked at the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, owned by Pulkit Arya. In September 2022, she went missing under mysterious circumstances. Her body was recovered on September 24 from the Chilla canal in Rishikesh, six days after she was reported missing.
Investigations revealed that Ankita was allegedly pushed into the barrage by Pulkit Arya and his associates, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit.
During the investigation, former employees of the Vanantra Resort alleged that Pulkit Arya and Ankit Gupta regularly brought women to the property and mistreated the staff, including female employees.
“They would verbally abuse and physically assault staff members over minor issues,” one female former staffer claimed, adding that she herself had been assaulted by the duo in the past.
The police said Ankita was murdered after she refused to offer “special services” to guests at the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, where she worked as a receptionist.
The case was initially probed by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Deputy Inspector General of Police P. Renuka Devi, and a 500-page chargesheet was filed following a detailed inquiry. The trial commenced on January 30, 2023.
After the charges were framed against the three accused of this sensational murder, Vanantra Resort owner Pulkit Arya, his employee Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, the testimony of the prosecution started from March 28, 2023.
In the hearing that lasted for about two years and eight months, 47 witnesses, including the investigator, were examined in the court on behalf of the prosecution. However, the SIT had made 97 witnesses in this case, out of which only 47 important witnesses were produced in the court.
Following the verdict, Ankita's mother, Soni Devi, broke down in tears and demanded capital punishment for the culprits. “I appeal to the public of Uttarakhand to continue supporting us and come to the Kotdwar court to boost our morale,” she said.
The Ankita Bhandari case had drawn statewide attention, prompting protests and calls for justice. With this sentencing, many see it as a partial closure, though the family continues to press for harsher punishment.
Who was Ankita and what happened to her?
Ankita hailed from a poor family in Pauri, where her father worked as a security guard. Due to financial issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, she had to discontinue her hotel management course. Later, with the help of a friend named Pushp, she reportedly secured a job as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh.
About a month into her job, Ankita confided in Pushp that the resort owners were pressuring her to provide sexual services to a VIP guest in exchange for Rs 10,000. On the night of her death, at 8:32 pm, she called Pushp expressing fear. The next morning, she was reported missing.
The FIR revealed that the accused feared Ankita would expose their actions. On the night of September 18, they took her out of the resort, murdered her, and disposed of her body in a canal.
As the case gained national attention, all three accused were arrested. The local administration partially demolished the resort, raising concerns about potential loss of crucial evidence. The BJP expelled Pulkit Arya’s father and brother from the party.
Initially, the case was reported to the local revenue police, but no action was taken. Vaibhav Pratap, the Patwari who was informed about Ankita’s disappearance, went on leave without filing a report. He was later suspended and arrested for negligence.
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