Ankita Bhandari died due to drowning, had blunt force trauma, reveals preliminary report

Uttarakhand: 19-year-old woman receptionist Ankita Bhandari's body was recovered from the Cheela canal close to Rishikesh early on Saturday, six days after her parents found her missing from her room.

New Delhi: 19-year-old woman receptionist Ankita Bhandari, who was allegedly killed in Uttarakhand by her employer, died due to drowning, news agency PTI reported on Sunday (September 25, 2022) citing the preliminary report. The draft report released by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, also said that antemortem injuries (injuries before death) have been found on Ankita Bhandari's body, suggestive of a blunt force trauma. 

The postmortem was conducted by a four-member team of doctors at AIIMS on Saturday and the details of injuries and other findings will be given in the final report.

Ankita Bhandari's body was recovered from the Cheela canal close to Rishikesh early on Saturday, six days after her parents found her missing from her room. She worked at the Vanantara resort in Pauri district's Yamkeshwar block owned by Haridwar BJP leader Vinod Arya's son Pulkit Arya. Pulkit and two other employees have been arrested in the case.

Will not perform Ankita Bhandari's last rites until we get detailed report: Family

Meanwhile, Ankita Bhandari's father and brother have refused to perform her last rites until they get the final postmortem report.

"I am not satisfied with the provisional postmortem report. Her last rites will not be performed until we get the final detailed report," her father Virendra Singh Bhandari was quoted as saying by PTI.

Her brother Ajay Singh Bhandari said the provisional report is lacking in detail.

They also spoke against the demolition exercise carried out at the resort where she was working as a receptionist. 

"It may be an attempt to destroy evidence," Ajay said.

Ankita Bhandari was under pressure to provide 'special services' to guests

Uttarakhand Director General of Police Ashok Kumar on Saturday said that Ankita Bhandari had been under pressure from Pulkit Arya to provide "special services" to guests. 

This had been gleaned from her chat with a friend, he said.

Earlier on Saturday, Bhandari's friend also reportedly alleged that she was killed because she refused to have sex with guests as demanded by the owner of the resort.

(With agency inputs)