Dehradun: The report regarding a missing 19-year-old receptionist at a secluded resort in Uttarakhand was logged as just another case at a local police station on September 18, 2022. However, within a few days, the situation escalated significantly beyond a standard search for a young woman. The body of the teenager was discovered in a canal near Rishikesh, leading to the arrest of three individuals, including the owner of the resort.
What ensued was a series of events that captured national attention, triggered political repercussions, and revealed unsettling details about the accused and their criminal network.
A Night In Yamkeshwar
Ankita Bhandari, who lived in Dobh-Srikot village in the Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand, began her role as a receptionist at Vanantra Resort in Yamkeshwar in August 2022. Tragically, less than a month after starting her job, she was found dead. According to police reports, on the night of September 18, an altercation took place between Ankita and her employer, Pulkit Arya, the son of a senior BJP official, along with his two employees, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta.
After a heated argument, Ankita was reportedly coerced into a vehicle and subsequently thrown into the swiftly flowing Cheela canal, a man-made irrigation channel notorious for its treacherous currents.
Arya and his accomplices then returned to the resort, situated approximately 10 km from Rishikesh, and filed a missing person report themselves.
Loopholes And Delayed Action
The preliminary investigation into Ankita’s disappearance was plagued by confusion. The Vanantra Resort is positioned in a semi-rural area that falls outside the jurisdiction of standard police forces. Consequently, the responsibility for the case was assigned to a revenue police officer, or ‘patwari’, whose authority and investigative capabilities were quite limited.
The delay hindered essential early actions. It was only three days later, due to public pressure and increasing concerns from Ankita’s family and friends, that the case was handed over to the regular police. By that time, public outrage had intensified.
State Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Kumar acknowledged that the lack of prompt police action might have cost the investigation valuable time. “The location of this resort, Vanantra, does not come under the jurisdiction of regular police. We have a system where a patwari (land revenue official) registers FIRs in such areas. He did file a ‘missing person’ FIR, which was submitted by the resort owner himself,” he stated.
Friends Sound the Alarm
Ankita’s disappearance first came to the attention of her close friend Pushp, who shared that she had called him on the evening of September 18. During their conversation, she mentioned being pressured by the resort management to provide what were delicately termed as “special services” to guests, an allegation that later became pivotal to the motive behind the murder.
That evening, after 8:30 pm, Ankita’s phone became unreachable. Pushp tried to reach Pulkit Arya directly. Arya claimed that Ankita had gone to her room. The following morning, Arya’s phone was also turned off. Subsequently, other staff members provided conflicting information. The manager stated Ankita was in the gym, while the chef claimed he had not seen her.
Realizing that something was seriously amiss, Pushp and Ankita’s family reached out to the police again, this time insisting that it be treated as a possible crime. Once the police finally took action, events unfolded rapidly.
Body Found, Protests Erupt
On September 24, six days after she was last seen, Ankita’s body was recovered from the Cheela canal. The post-mortem examination, carried out at AIIMS Rishikesh, confirmed drowning as the cause of death. However, it also indicated multiple injuries—blunt force trauma consistent with physical assault. Tests on her viscera samples for signs of sexual assault returned negative results.
Public anger reached a peak. Residents assaulted the police vehicle carrying the suspect, shattering windows and trying to extract them. In Bhogpur, villagers damaged the resort, accusing the authorities of protecting the suspect due to Arya’s political ties. By morning, officials had demolished the resort, labeling it illegal.
Political Consequences
Pulkit Arya’s father, Vinod Arya, held a prominent position in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttarakhand. After the allegations surfaced, he was expelled from the party. Nevertheless, he publicly supported his son, describing him as a “simple boy” incapable of such a crime. “Seedha sadha balak hai (he is a simple boy). He is solely focused on his work. I seek justice for both my son Pulkit and Ankita Bhandari,” Mr. Arya stated, attracting significant backlash.
Vinod Arya was subsequently implicated in another case by his former driver, who accused him of physical assault and attempted sodomy.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami declared that the case would be handled in a fast-track court. The state government also established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by senior IPS officer Renuka Devi. A compensation of Rs 25 lakh was announced for Ankita’s family.
The Body, The Funeral, and Inquiries
Ankita’s mother later claimed that the family had been deceived into missing her funeral. In a video that emerged weeks later, Ankita’s mother is shown in a hospital, alleging she was forcibly taken there under the guise of being allowed to see her daughter’s body. She asserted that she was administered intravenous fluids against her will and was not allowed to attend the cremation.
“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,” the mother could be heard expressing in the video.
“The doctors then placed me in a wheelchair. I inquired about the necessity of it, but they transported me to a hospital instead. They forcibly administered an intravenous sugar solution and began recording a video,” she recounted.
She mentioned that four or five individuals approached her, stating they would take her to the cremation site. “I insisted that I am her mother and would not proceed until I saw her. I declared that I would not move until they showed me my daughter. I was not unwell at all. They deceived me into coming here. I was seated at the civic body’s office. This is merely for appearances; they have betrayed us,” she expressed.
Audio Clips
The most incriminating evidence against Pulkit Arya emerged through two audio recordings involving him and Ankita’s close friend, Pushp. In these audio clips, Arya can be heard trying to manipulate Pushp, even implying that she was “probably with him.”
In the first audio clip, Pushp asks Pulkit, “Why did she [the victim] take your phone last night?” Pulkit responds, “Her phone had died, and I had no reason to keep my phone overnight. So, I gave it to her when she requested it.”
Pushp then remarks to Pulkit, “So, she did have a phone last night. Yet, it’s odd that she never reached out to me. In fact, I called her three times, but her phone was off.”
Investigators later speculated that Arya hoped Ankita’s body would remain undiscovered. If she stayed missing indefinitely, he might have thought that suspicion would naturally shift to Pushp, with whom Ankita had frequently communicated. Investigators believed her phone was intentionally disposed of, either thrown in the canal or destroyed to eliminate evidence.
Charge Sheet And The Trial
The police filed a 500-page charge sheet within 90 days, adhering to the required timeline for expedited proceedings. More than 100 individuals were interviewed, including resort staff, digital forensic specialists, and Ankita’s friends. Forty-seven of these individuals were presented in court.
