Ankita Bhandari Murder Case: Rishikesh Resort Owner, 2 Others Gets Life Imprisonment

The ADJ court of Uttarakhand's Kotdwar has convicted all three accused in connection with the Ankita Bhandari murder case of 2022. The accused—Pulkit Arya, Saurabh Bhaskar, and Ankit Gupta—have been sentenced to life imprisonment under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Sections 302 (murder), 201 (destruction of evidence), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 354A (sexual harassment), and provisions of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act.

The accused were found guilty of murdering Ankita Bhandari, a receptionist at a resort in Rishikesh.

The case sparked widespread outrage across the country, with protests erupting throughout the state of Uttarakhand and locals setting fire to the resort where the murder occurred.

Demanding the harshest punishment for the three accused, the victim's mother, Soni Devi, told ANI, "May the criminals be sentenced to death."

All About the Ankita Bhandari Murder Case

Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist working at Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, was allegedly murdered by the resort owner Pulkit Arya and his associates, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta. She was reportedly pushed into the barrage by the accused, leading to her death.

Ankita hailed from the Pauri district of Uttarakhand.

Her body was recovered from the Chilla canal in Rishikesh on September 24, six days after she was reported missing. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police P. Renuka Devi was initially tasked with probing the case.

The first hearing began on January 30, 2023, in the ADJ Court in Kotdwar. Following the SIT’s investigation, the prosecution filed a 500-page chargesheet in court. After charges were framed against the three accused—resort owner Pulkit Arya and his employees Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta—the prosecution began presenting testimony on March 28, 2023.

In the trial that lasted approximately two years and eight months, 47 witnesses, including the investigating officer, were examined in court on behalf of the prosecution. While the SIT had identified 97 witnesses in total, only 47 key witnesses were produced in court.

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