Dr. V. Murugesan, Additional Director General of Police (Crime and Law & Order) for Uttarakhand, shared details regarding the investigation and court proceedings of the Ankita Bhandari murder case during a press conference held at the Dehradun Police Headquarters.
He stated that following the 2022 murder of Ankita Bhandari—an employee at the Vanantara Resort in Rishikesh—the police took swift action and arrested all three primary accused within 24 hours. Acting on the directives of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted, led by a female IPS officer of the rank of Deputy Inspector General (DIG).
The SIT gathered scientific, forensic, technical, and physical evidence, and within 88 days, submitted a charge sheet spanning approximately 500 pages to the court. Based on the effective presentation by the prosecution and the solid evidence provided, the Additional District and Sessions Court in Kotdwar sentenced the three convicts—Pulkit Arya, Saurabh Bhaskar, and Ankit Gupta—to rigorous life imprisonment on May 30, 2025. All three convicts are currently serving their sentences in prison.
