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Uttarakhand: Ankita's family cremates her, CM assures justice for victim allegedly murdered by BJP leader's son

by Trans World Features | @twfindia 25 Sep 2022, 08:19 am

Rishikesh: The family of Uttarakhand's Ankita Bhandari, who was allegedly murdered by the son of a BJP leader, on Sunday performed the last rites of the 19-year-old resort employee whose body was recovered from a canal a day ago.

The missing girl, who was working as a receptionist at a resort in Rishikesh, was found dead in a canal and her killing was blamed on resort owner Pulkit Arya, a now expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya's son, in Rishikesh amid reports that the accused had tried to force her into prostitution in the resort where she was working.

Three people, including Arya, have been arrested in connection with the death.

The girl's family had initially refused to cremate her until they get the final postmortem report. 

Protests meanwhile continued for justice while an India Today report said Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has assured to set up a fast-track court for speedy justice. The CM also assured to make the postmortem report public.

The victim wrote in text messages to her friend that she was being forced into prostitution, media reports said.

Ankita Bhandari worked as a receptionist in Pulkit Arya's Yamkeshwar block resort in Pauri, from where she went missing.

Her body was fished out by the police near Chilla powerhouse, media reports said.

"They are trying to turn me into a prostitute," read one of her messages to a friend.

She was relating her agonizing experience as a receptionist at the now expelled senior BJP leader's son's resort.

Media reports said that the police have revealed that the initial investigations indicate that the messages were indeed from the victim.

She wrote to her friend that the accused men were forcing her to provide "special services" for Rs 10,000.

The victim also told her friend that she was also touched inappropriately by a man in the resort, but the accused told her to do nothing as he was drunk.

In an audio clip of a call recording reportedly from the victim that has gone viral, she can be heard crying on the phone and asking the other person to bring her bag.

A Facebook post by a friend of the 19-yer-old receptionist said she was killed because she refused to have sex with the guests at the resort by Pulit Arya-the BJP leader's son who owned the resort.

WhatsApp chats indicate that "extra service" -- a euphemism for sex -- was provided to VVIP guests at the resort for Rs 10,000, said an NDTV report.

The chats also reveal that it was offered to guests under the garb of spa treatment.

The report said that the tone and content of the message revealed that the young woman sensed something amiss at the resort and did not want to continue working there.