Former BJP MLA arrested for conspiracy in Ankita Bhandari murder case

Former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore has been arrested by Dehradun Police for conspiring to falsely link senior BJP leader Dushyant Gautam to the Ankita Bhandari murder case.

According to police, BJP national general secretary and Uttarakhand in-charge Dushyant Gautam filed a complaint at Dehradun's Dalanwala police station on January 5. He alleged that Rathore and actress Urmila Sanawar conspired to create and circulate fabricated audio and video clips aimed at defaming him, the BJP, and other senior party leaders.

Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist at the Vanantara Resort in Rishikesh, was murdered on September 18, 2022. The resort's manager, Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, was arrested in connection with the case.

In December, Sanawar shared an audio clip of an alleged conversation with Rathore that purportedly suggested a link between Gautam and the murder case.

Gautam alleged that the accused used social media to circulate false content that could disturb public order and incite unrest. He had also approached the Delhi High Court in January, accusing Rathore, Sanawar, and opposition parties of defamation. The court directed Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party to remove social media posts linking Gautam to the case within 24 hours.

Several FIRs were subsequently registered in Haridwar and Dehradun.

Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police Parmendra Dobhal said investigators found sufficient evidence during the probe to invoke charges related to extortion against Rathore.

Acting on a tip-off, police arrested Rathore on Sunday. He was produced before a court, which remanded him to 14 days of judicial custody and sent him to Sudhowala District Jail.

Rathore and Sanawar had previously claimed to be married, a development that led to Rathore's expulsion from the BJP for six years for violating the Uniform Civil Code provisions prohibiting polygamy. Rathore later denied being married to Sanawar.