Ankita Bhandari murder: Uttarakhand court convicts resort owner, two others

All three accused in the high-profile Ankita Bhandari murder case were found guilty by a court in Kotdwar on Friday.

The Additional District and Sessions Court in Kotdwar has convicted all three accused in the 2022 case, which sparked outrage across Uttarakhand and beyond. The sentencing will be pronounced later.

The victim’s family, activists and political leaders have long demanded justice for the 19-year-old receptionist, whose killing exposed alleged exploitation and corruption.

Ankita Bhandari, from Srinagar Garhwal, had taken up a job at the Vanantara Resort near Rishikesh to support her financially struggling family. Just days after starting work, she went missing on September 18 2022. Her body was later recovered from the Chilla canal, with post-mortem reports confirming drowning as the cause of death and revealing injury marks, as reported by investigators.

The three convicted men include resort owner Pulkit Arya, manager Saurabh Bhaskar and assistant manager Ankit Gupta. Police said the trio confessed to murdering Ankita and dumping her body in the canal. Her family alleges she was pressured into prostitution by Arya, a claim that intensified public anger.

The case also had political repercussions, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swiftly expelling Vinod Arya, Pulkit’s father and a party leader, amid the uproar. Opposition parties and civil society groups have since rallied behind Ankita’s family, demanding stringent punishment.

Ahead of the verdict, Ankita’s mother, Soni Devi, made an emotional appeal, urging supporters to stand by the family. Speaking to ANI, she said, “May the criminals be sentenced to death... I appeal to the public of Uttarakhand to keep on supporting us and come to the Kotdwar court to boost our morale.”

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) had submitted a 500-page charge sheet, naming 97 witnesses, all of whose testimonies were considered during the trial.