Ankita Bhandari murder case: No ‘VIP’ involved, says Haridwar SP; opposition demands CBI probe
Police state no VIP was involved in the Ankita Bhandari murder case. A man named Dharmendra Kumar was identified as a friend, not a VIP. New allegations suggest a 'Gattu', a top BJP leader, is involved. The Uttarakhand government is open to investigation with credible evidence.
DEHRADUN: Amid demands for a CBI probe into the Ankita Bhandari murder case, Haridwar SP (Rural) Shekhar Suyal has asserted that no "VIP" was found involved during the investigation.Suyal told reporters on Saturday that the person mentioned in chats and during questioning, Dharmendra Kumar alias Pradhan from Noida, was a friend of Ankita and not a VIP, he added. "During the investigation, police questioning revealed that he had come to the area for some work two days before Ankita's murder and had stopped at the Vanantra Resort for a short time to have a meal," he said.SP Shekhar Suyal said the resort’s records and staff questioning confirmed that no VIP was involved.Urmila Sanawar, who claims to be the wife of former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore, recently released videos and audio recordings alleging that the 'VIP' in the Ankita Bhandari murder case is a person named “Gattu.” In another video, she identified Gattu as a top BJP leader in Uttarakhand.Rathore, who was expelled from the BJP, denied the claims, saying his voice was generated using AI and that the audios were widely circulated to tarnish his political image.
The Uttarakhand government on Friday said it is ready for any investigation into the Ankita Bhandari murder case if credible evidence is presented.Opposition leaders have demanded a CBI probe into the new allegations. Bhandari, who worked as a receptionist at a resort in Pauri district, was allegedly murdered on September 18, 2022.An SIT had investigated the case, and the court sentenced Pulkit Arya, the resort owner and son of a BJP leader, along with two others, to life imprisonment.(With agency inputs)