How Ankita's FB friend from Jammu helped police nab BJP leader's son who 'tried to force her to have physical relations with customers'

Tribune Web Desk

Chandigarh, September 24

Police on Saturday morning found the body of Ankita Bhandari, allegedly killed by the son of a BJP leader, from a canal where the accused had dumped her.

Also read: Video: Uttarakhand BJP leader's son arrested for woman employee’s murder; his resort bulldozed after protest

The development in the case was shared by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in a tweet, who said he was pained by the incident.

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

Pulkit Arya, the key accused in the case and the owner of the resort where the victim worked, is the son of Vinod Arya, a BJP leader from Haridwar.

Ankita’s Facebook friend Pushp, who works in Jammu, helped solve the murder.

According to a report in Amar Ujala, Pushp reached Rishikesh a day after the incident. He told Ankita’s family and the police that he had spoken to Ankita on the night of the incident. He claimed that Ankita told him that “she was trapped” and the resort operator and manager “forced her to have physical relations with the customers”.

Pushp said the resort operator Pulkit Arya also allegedly molested Ankita when drunk. Pushp said Ankita's phone was switched off at 8.30pm that day. When he called Pulkit Arya, he said Ankita had slept in his room, reports the paper. After this, Pulkit Arya's phone was also switched off.

Pushp later spoke to the manager, who said Ankita was in the gym. Pushp said that after this he spoke to the chef of the hotel, who said he had not seen Ankita.

In the morning, the manager informed Pushp that Ankita had gone somewhere.

As per the report in the paper, the three accused took Ankita out with them at 8.30pm against her wishes. The trio allegedly pushed her in the canal, about 1.5km from the barrage towards Haridwar. When they returned to the resort, Ankita was not with them. But they told the staff that Ankita had gone to her room.

The next day, information about Ankita having gone missing, was given to her father who filed a missing report.

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