Non-bailable warrant against woman who alleged ‘VIP’ involved in Ankita Bhandari murder

Haridwar, Jan 3 (PTI) A non-bailable warrant was issued against the woman who caused a stir after she released a video claiming that the "VIP" involved in the Ankita Bhandari murder case was a BJP leader.

The warrant was issued by a court in connection with an older case against the woman, officials said on Saturday.

Opposition leaders have demanded a CBI probe into the new allegations and the murder case, in which three people were sentenced to life imprisonment following an SIT investigation.

Police in Haridwar and Dehradun were already searching for Urmila Sanawar, who claims to be the second wife of former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore, in connection with her two posts on social media related to the murder of Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist, in 2022.

Haridwar (City) Superintendent of Police Abhay Pratap Singh said after the warrant was issued, police are looking for her in Haridwar, Dehradun, Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

Haridwar police have already constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate the various cases registered against Sanawar.

Rathore's daughter had lodged a case against Sanawar at the Ranipur Kotwali police station in Haridwar on charges of defamation, tarnishing her image, and blackmailing. The MLA has also denied that Sanawar's claim that she is his wife.

Sanawar recently released videos and audio recordings of her alleged conversations with Rathore, 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, said that his voice was generated using AI, and the audios have been widely shared with the intention of tarnishing his political image.

According to police, a raid was conducted at Sanawar's house in Saharanpur two days ago but she was not found there, so they pasted a notice on her house.

Rathore has been summoned by the police to record his statement in connection with a case but he has not yet appeared.

In response to the police notice, Rathore's wife, Ravinder Kaur, went to the police station and requested a week's extension, saying her husband was out of town. The period of extension has now expired.

The Uttarakhand government on Friday said it was ready for any investigation into the Ankita Bhandari murder case "if credible evidence is presented".

The Congress has demanded a CBI inquiry supervised by a sitting or retired judge of the Supreme Court into the case.

Ankita, who worked as a receptionist at a resort in Pauri district, was allegedly murdered on September 18, 2022. The state government had constituted an SIT to investigate the case.

The court sentenced Pulkit Arya, the owner of the resort and son of a BJP leader, and two others to life imprisonment in the case. PTI DPT SKY SKY