Ankita Bhandari murder case: Resort staff shares details of night before receptionist went missing

An employee at the Uttarakhand resort where Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist, used to work has made some alarming claims in connection with the murder case invoving a BJP leader's son.

The staffer claimed that he received a call from Ankit Arya, the brother of alleged culprit Pulkit Arya, saying that he would take the food to the victim's room.

“I got a call from Ankit Arya at 8pm to prepare dinner for 4 people. Around 10:45pm he came and told us that he'll take dinner to Ankita's room, to which I said our service boy will do that, but he didn't agree,” news agency ANI quoted resort staffer Manveer Chauhan as saying.

#WATCH | #AnkitaBhandari murder case: I got a call from Ankit Arya at 8pm to prepare dinner for 4 people. Around 10:45pm he came & told us that he'll take dinner to Ankita's room, to which I said our service boy will do that, but he didn't agree: Resort staffer Manveer Chauhan pic.twitter.com/Bnw55cfOTI

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) September 24, 2022

“The next day we saw Ankita was missing from her room. Her bag, money, and food were left in the room,” he added.  

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Assembly Speaker Ritu Khanduri Bhushan wrote to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, urging that the revenue police system be abolished immediately and that ordinary police stations and outposts be established.

#AnkitaBhandari murder case: Uttarakhand Assembly Speaker Ritu Khanduri Bhushan wrote to CM Pushkar Singh Dhami requesting him to end the system of revenue police with immediate effect and to set up police stations/outposts of the general police force instead of revenue police pic.twitter.com/6dohzK9WVX

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) September 24, 2022

Earlier, the BJP had expelled accused Pulkit Arya’s father Vinod Arya and brother Ankit Arya. Outrage over the murder of the 19-year-old woman spilled onto the streets as locals protested and jammed the Pauri bus station. The District Magistrate’s office in Pauri was also gheraoed. 

Ankita Bhandari was reported missing by her parents on Monday at the revenue police station. The case was cracked on Friday by the regular police, a day after it was transferred to the department. After initially misleading the police, the accused Pulkit (owner of the resort) and two of his employees had confessed to murdering Ankita and dumping her body in the Chilla canal in Rishikesh. 

An SIT was formed to probe the case by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. The body of Ankita was recovered on Saturday morning.  

READ| Why was Ankita Bhandari murdered before she received her first salary? BJP expels Pulkit Arya's father Vinod Arya