3 min readDehradunJun 16, 2026 02:47 AM IST
First published on: Jun 15, 2026 at 03:40 PM IST
Former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore has been arrested by Dehradun police for allegedly conspiring to falsely implicate senior BJP leader Dushyant Gautam in the Ankita Bhandari murder case, police said.
On January 5, Dushyant Kumar Gautam, national general secretary of the BJP and the party’s Uttarakhand in-charge, submitted a written complaint at Dehradun’s Dalanwala police station. He alleged that Rathore (66), the former MLA from Jwalapur constituency in Haridwar, and actress Urmila Sanawar, who claims to be Rathore’s wife, in collusion with certain political parties, entered into a criminal conspiracy to create and circulate fabricated audio and video clips with the intention of maligning the complainant, his party, and other senior office-bearers.
Ankita Bhandari was a 19-year-old receptionist at Vanantara resort in Rishikesh, who was killed on September 18, 2022, by its manager, Pulkit Arya, the son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, barely 20 days after she joined the resort.
In December, Sanawar shared an audio clip of an alleged conversation with Rathore to insinuate that Gautam was linked to the case.
Gautam had alleged that the accused posted and disseminated false audio and video recordings on social media, attempting to disturb public peace, provoke unrest, and incite disorder and riots.
In January, Gautam, who is also the former SC Morcha president, had moved the Delhi High Court, accusing Sanawar, Rathore, and Opposition parties of defaming him. The court had directed the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party to remove within 24 hours social media posts linking Gautam to the murder. Since the videos were posted, multiple FIRs have been registered in Haridwar and Dehradun.
Speaking at a press conference, SSP Dehradun, Parmendra Dobhal, said that during the course of the investigation, based on witness statements, evidence, and other facts collected, investigators also found grounds to invoke the section pertaining to extortion against Rathore.
“Acting on information received from an informant, a police team arrested Rathore on Sunday. He was produced before the court, which remanded him to 14 days of judicial custody and sent him to Sudhowala District Jail,” the officer said.
Sanawar and Rathore had earlier claimed that they were married, and this was followed by his ouster from the BJP for six years for allegedly violating the Uniform Civil Code, which prohibits polygamy. He later claimed that he was not married to Sanawar.
Former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore has been arrested for allegedly conspiring to falsely implicate senior BJP leader in the Ankita Bhandari murder case. (Credits: Facebook/ Suresh Rathore) 
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