Uttarakhand Ankita Bhandari case: Former BJP legislator Suresh Rathore has been arrested in connection with a viral audio-video clip linked to the high-profile Ankita Bhandari murder case. Rathore is accused of publicly naming an alleged "VIP" connected to the controversy and circulating objectionable content on social media.

According to SP (City) Pramod Kumar, Rathore was taken into custody from his office in Bhagwanpur's Buggawala area of Haridwar and subsequently brought to Dalanwala police station in Dehradun. After questioning, the police formally arrested him as part of the ongoing investigation.

The arrest comes days after Rathore addressed a press conference, claiming that the Uttarakhand High Court had quashed two of the four FIRs registered against him. He stated that cases lodged at Bahadrabad and Jhabreda police stations had been set aside by the court.

However, the single bench of Justice Rakesh Thapliyal allowed investigations to continue in the remaining two cases registered at Dalanwala and Nehru Colony police stations. Police action has now proceeded under those pending investigations.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand minister Deshraj Karnwal had earlier dismissed Rathore's claims of relief from the court, alleging that the former MLA was attempting to mislead the public regarding the legal proceedings.

The complaints in the case were filed by BJP national general secretary and Uttarakhand in-charge Dushyant Gautam, along with Aarti Gaur. They alleged that Rathore deliberately circulated the video with the intention of damaging their reputation by portraying Gautam as the alleged "VIP" referred to in discussions surrounding the Ankita Bhandari case.

Rathore has strongly denied the allegations, maintaining that the case is part of a larger political conspiracy aimed at tarnishing his image and ending his political career.

Ankita Bhandari murder case: What you need to know

Ankita Bhandari, a young receptionist from Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, was working at the Vanantara Resort in Ganga Bhogpur, Pauri district, when she went missing on September 8, 2022. She was pushed into the Chilla Canal and killed on September 18, 2022. Her body was recovered six days later on September 24, 2022, identified by her father and brother.

The prime accused is Pulkit Arya, son of BJP-expelled leader Vinod Arya, who faces charges of sexual assault and murder. Two others,  Saurabh Bhaskar (resort manager) and Ankit Gupta, are accused of aiding him. Investigations revealed that Ankita had refused to provide "special services" to guests, after which Pulkit Arya allegedly began sexually harassing her. Manager Saurabh Bhaskar is also accused of attempting assault in Room No. 106 of the resort.

The then Dhami government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by then DIG P. Renuka Devi. The SIT filed a 500-page chargesheet in court, recording statements from 100 witnesses. All three accused were arrested and charged under: Section 302  (Murder), Section 201  (Destruction of evidence) and Immoral Traffic Prevention Act. The resort itself was declared illegal and subsequently demolished.

Ankita had completed her intermediate education and pursued a six-month hotel management diploma from Dehradun before joining the resort on August 28, 2022, barely days before her disappearance.