Saharanpur/New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday intensified its probe into the Ankita Bhandari murder case, serving a formal notice on actress Urmila Sanawar at her residence in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, ANI reported.

According to Sanawar, a CBI team arrived at her home on Wednesday after a preliminary questioning session of about four hours held on October 18. "The CBI questioned me on the 18th. Today, I received a call from a CBI officer asking if I was at home. Upon arriving at my residence, they served me a notice for a narco-analysis test and asked me to appear before them the day after tomorrow at 10:30 AM. This notice is related to the audio clip that went viral in the Ankita Bhandari murder case," Sanawar told ANI, as reported by Latestly and Dev Discourse.

The notice, quoted by Dev Discourse, directs her to appear in person on October 23, 2026 at 10:30 AM so the court can ascertain whether she is willing to undergo the proposed polygraph and narco tests voluntarily and without any coercion, undue influence, threat, inducement or pressure.

The development follows demands by Ankita Bhandari's parents, who met senior CBI officials last week and sought narco-analysis tests on Sanawar and former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore over a viral audio recording, The Daily Jagran reported on October 17. The CBI subsequently questioned Rathore in Haridwar, according to that report. The claims in the viral clip are allegations that remain under investigation and have not been established.

Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist at a resort in Uttarakhand, was murdered in September 2022. The resort owner and two others were convicted in 2025 and are serving life sentences, according to reports cited by The Daily Jagran. The CBI's current line of inquiry concerns the alleged 'VIP angle' raised by the family — an allegation, not a proven fact.

Sources: ANI via Latestly, ANI via Dev Discourse, and The Daily Jagran, reporting on October 21, 2026.