Uttarakhand Police on Sunday arrested actress Urmila Sanawar from her residence in Govindnagar, in the Sadar Bazar area of Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, ahead of her anticipated appearance before a CBI court in connection with the Ankita Bhandari murder case, ANI reported.
Source: ANI, via Indian Economic Observer
According to the police, a case was registered at Ranipur Kotwali police station in Haridwar on the night of October 24, following a written complaint by Deepika Rathore, daughter of former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore. The complaint alleges — and these are allegations that have not been established in court — that obscene, objectionable and defamatory remarks were made against her and her family on social media to damage their reputation. Other reports of the complaint allege a demand of Rs 5 crore (yaani 50 million rupees) and a property transfer, along with threats; Sanawar has not been convicted of any of these charges.
What the police have said
Haridwar SP (City) Deepak Singh confirmed the arrest and said a police team led by Inspector Manohar Bhandari carried out the action and recovered a mobile phone, Power Corridors reported. Police said the case was registered under Sections 308(5), 308(7), 79, 356(3) and 356(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 4 and 10 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, and that several cases had previously been registered against Sanawar. She was produced before a magistrate for judicial custody, the Daily Jagran reported, citing ANI.
Source: Power Corridors
Sanawar was scheduled to appear before the CBI court on Monday, October 26, in proceedings linked to a proposed narco-analysis test. On October 23, Sanawar and Suresh Rathore had reportedly given voluntary consent before a special CBI court to undergo narco-analysis and polygraph tests, according to Power Corridors.
The Ankita Bhandari connection
Sanawar has been in the spotlight over a purported audio clip and references to an alleged 'VIP' in connection with the September 2022 murder of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari, who worked as a receptionist at a resort near Rishikesh. The CBI is examining the authenticity of the recordings and the alleged VIP angle. The allegations in the recordings are unproven, and the senior BJP figures named in public discussion of them have denied wrongdoing.
Sanawar had earlier told ANI that a CBI team served her a notice for a narco-analysis test after a preliminary questioning session on October 18, and that the notice related to the viral audio clip linked to the Ankita Bhandari case. Her arrest in a separate complaint case, a day before the court date, has drawn political attention, with Congress leaders questioning the timing — a reaction reported by national outlets. The police have said the arrest was made on the complaint registered in Haridwar.