Locals torch Uttarakhand resort owned by former BJP minister’s son; SIT set up to probe case

Pulkit and two others were arrested by the police on Friday for murdering Bhandari, who worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort.

New Delhi: Hours after the body of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari was recovered from a canal in Uttarakhand’s Rishikesh on Saturday, locals set fire to the resort at which she worked. The resort was owned by Pulkit Arya, the son of former Uttarakhand BJP minister Vinod Arya and the main accused in the teenager’s murder case.

Ankita’s mortal remains were recovered from Chilla canal in Rishikesh, police officers told news agency ANI. “The deceased’s brother and father were here and they identified the body,” an officer said. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to probe the case.

Pulkit and two others were arrested by the police on Friday for murdering Bhandari, who worked as a receptionist at Vanantra Resort in the Laxman Jhula area. The accused, including the manager of resort, had confessed to having pushed the woman into a canal following an altercation, the police said.

Meanwhile, Pulkit’s brother, Aryan, was removed as the deputy chairman of the state OBC commission on Saturday.