Ankita Bhandari Murder Case: In a significant development in the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case, three accused, Pulkit Arya, Saurabh Bhaskar, and Ankit Gupta have been found guilty. The Additional District and Sessions Court in Kotdwar, Uttarakhand found all three accused guilty of murder on Friday, May 30.
Ahead of the Kotdwar court’s verdict, Ankita’s mother Soni Devi broke down while talking to ANI, and urged people to support the family. She demanded capital punishment for the accused. She said, “May the criminals be sentenced to death…I appeal to the public of Uttarakhand to keep on supporting us and come to the Kotdwar court to boost our morale.”
2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case: Three accused, Pulkit Arya, Saurabh Bhaskar, and Ankit Gupta, have been found guilty of Ankita's murder in the Additional District and Sessions Judge Court, Kotdwar, Uttarakhand. The sentence against the three accused is yet to be announced:…
— ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2025
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Meanwhile, the security of the court complex in Pauri Garhwal district was tightened to maintain law and order. Pauri Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Lokeshwar Singh earlier, informed that police forces from the district are deployed, and a 100-meter court periphery has been declared a zero zone, allowing entry only for government employees and court attendees.
About Ankita Bhandari Murder Case
Ankita Bhandari, a resident of Pauri district was murdered on September 18, 2022. It is alleged that Vanantra resort owner, Pulkit Arya and his associates, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit, had murdered Ankita by pushing her into the barrage. Her body was recovered from the Chilla canal on September 24, at least six days after she was reported missing. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police P Renuka Devi had initially probed the case.
The first hearing of the case began on January 30, 2023, in the ADJ Court in Kotdwar. A 500-page chargesheet was filed in the court after SIT investigation. After the charges were framed against the three accused, the testimony of the prosecution started from March 28, 2023.
47 witnesses, including investigator were examined in the court in the hearing that lasted for about two years and eight months. Notably, the SIT had named 97 witnesses in this case, but only 47 important witnesses were produced in the court.
