CBI questions Urmila Sanawar in Ankita Bhandari murder probe

Agency visits her Saharanpur home a day after questioning former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore as investigation into alleged VIP link continues

A four-member CBI team reached Urmila Sanawar's Saharanpur residence to question her in connection with the Ankita Bhandari murder investigation.

The visit followed the questioning of former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore in Haridwar on Saturday.

Bhandari's parents continue to seek accountability as the agency investigates the alleged role of an unidentified VIP.

A Central Bureau of Investigation team reached Urmila Sanawar's residence in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur on Sunday to question her in connection with the Ankita Bhandari murder case .

The four-member team included a woman officer. The visit came a day after investigators questioned former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore at the Shivalik Guest House in Uttarakhand's Haridwar. Sanawar has claimed to be Rathore's wife.

Earlier this week, Sanawar appeared at a press conference in New Delhi alongside Bhandari's parents. In a separate video message, she demanded that investigators question her in the presence of the media, citing the absence of supervision by a sitting Supreme Court judge.

.'Insensitive': Congress condemns detention of Ankita Bhandari's parents. The CBI took over the investigation in February, with its Delhi-based Special Crime Branch registering a case concerning an unidentified VIP's alleged involvement.

The case drew renewed attention earlier this year after audio clips and videos involving Sanawar circulated online. Her references during a Facebook Live session to an alleged VIP connection prompted fresh demands from Opposition parties and civil society organisations for a CBI investigation.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami recommended the central agency's involvement on 9 January, following mounting public pressure.

Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist at Vanantra Resort, was murdered on 18 September 2022. Her body was recovered from the Chilla Shakti Canal nearly a week later, triggering widespread protests in Uttarakhand.

A Special Investigation Team subsequently filed a 500-page chargesheet naming 97 witnesses, of whom 47 testified in court. Resort owner Pulkit Arya and co-accused Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Meanwhile, Bhandari's parents, activists and Congress workers have protested against BJP leader Dushyant Gautam's appointment as Governor of Sikkim. Her parents have demanded that the appointment be put on hold while the CBI investigation continues.

Earlier this week, they staged a sit-in at India Gate and later met CBI officials along with Garhwal BJP MP Anil Baluni. They have urged the government to ensure that everyone responsible for their daughter's murder is brought to justice.