Dehradun: The remains of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari, who was reported missing for five days, was recovered on Saturday morning, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced.
A Special Investigation Team has been formed to probe the matter, he added about the crime which is alleged to have been linked to a BJP leader’s son.
“The body of daughter Ankita was recovered this morning. My heart is deeply pained by this heart breaking incident,” Dhami tweeted earlier.
“In order to ensure the harshest punishment for the culprits, an SIT has been formed under the leadership of Deputy Inspector General of Police P. Renuka Devi ji and ordered an in-depth investigation of this serious matter.”
Dhami’s tweets came a day after Pulkit Arya, the son of a former BJP minister in Uttarakhand, and three others were arrested by the state’s police for murdering Ankita, who worked as a receptionist at a resort in the Laxman Jhula area.
Pulkit, the son of BJP leader Vinod Arya, has been named as the “main accused” in the case, the police said. He owns the Vanantra Resort, where Ankita worked.
On Dhami’s orders around Saturday midnight, Pulkit’s resort was demolished by bulldozers.
The Chief Minister has ordered an inquiry into all the resorts.
Pulkit’s resort located in Rishikesh was demolished by the Pauri district administration.
Dhami has instructed all district magistrates to investigate all the resorts of Uttarakhand. He told the officials immediate necessary action should be ensured against the resorts which have become illegal or are operating illegally.
Information about their status should be obtained from the employees working in hotels / resorts / guest houses etc. located across the state. Complaints should be taken seriously, Dhami told officers.
The chief minister said that it is “our resolve that the culprits of this heinous crime will not be spared”.
