Former Uttarakhand minister’s son among three held for 19-yr-old’s murder: Cops

Pulkit Arya (35), son of former state minister and BJP leader Vinod Arya, was arrested along with Saurabh Bhaskar (35) and Ankit Gupta (19) and all of them have confessed to the crime, police said.

The son of a former Uttarakhand minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was among three people arrested on Friday for allegedly murdering a 19-year-old woman who went missing earlier this week, in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal, police said.

The woman, who was working as a receptionist at a resort owned by Pulkit on Chilla road in Yamkeshwar area, went missing on Sunday. (Representative image)

Pulkit Arya (35), son of former state minister and BJP leader Vinod Arya, was arrested along with Saurabh Bhaskar (35) and Ankit Gupta (19) and all of them have confessed to the crime, police added.

Arya was former chairman of Uttarakhand Mati Kala Board with the rank of state minister.

The developments came amid staunch protests by family and relatives of the deceased and an outrage on social media, prompting chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhamit to assure a fair probe and stern action against the accused. The BJP leader, Vinod, also assured full cooperation in the probe.

The woman, who was working as a receptionist at a resort owned by Pulkit on Chilla road in Yamkeshwar area, went missing on Sunday, Pauri Garhwal senior superintendent of police (SSP) Yashwant Singh said. Bhaskar worked as the manager and Gupta was his assistant.

Providing further details, the SSP said Arya on September 20 had approached police with a missing complaint to mislead the investigation.

The woman’s father, however, suspected the role of the resort owner and staff after the deceased’s friend approached him with a WhatsApp conversation suggesting the trio’s involvement.

While the matter was initially handled by revenue police, it was transferred to regular police at Laxmanjhula police station on Thursday morning, he added. In Uttarakhand, revenue police, a British era system, operates in around 60% of the area.

“During the course of investigation, police learnt the accused and the woman had gone to Rishikesh on Sunday. While on their way back, Pulkit and the woman entered into an argument following which the accused threw her into a canal in Chilla,” the SSP said.

Efforts are underway to recover the woman’s body, he added.

A police officer, who did not want to be named, said the woman was allegedly being pressurised by Pulkit to enter into prostitution.

A purported WhatsApp chat between the woman and a friend, which has gone viral on social media, suggests Pulkit forcibly tried to kiss her. A probe is underway, the officer said.

The accused have been booked under Sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.

Meanwhile, the family and relatives of the woman staged a protest outside Laxmanjhula police station, seeking action against the accused.

The family alleged timely police inaction. “Initially, revenue police officials did not pay heed to my complaint and acted in favour of the accused. If they would have acted on time, my daughter would have been alive,” the woman’s father said.

The protesters raised slogans against the BJP leader and also accused police of bias. They also gheraoed the police vehicle in which the accused were being taken to the court.

Sub-divisional magistrate Yemkeshwar Pramod Kumar couldn’t be contacted for remarks on the issue despite repeated attempts.

Director general of police Ashok Kumar said the arrests were made within 24 hours of the case being transferred to regular police from revenue police.

Chief minister Dhami assured a fair probe into the matter. “Police are doing their job. I have already given instructions to the DGP in the matter. We will take the sternest of action against the accused, irrespective of whoever he is. We will ensure justice to the victim and her family,” he said.

Vinod told reporters that his family will cooperate with police in the probe. “If my son has committed a crime, he should be given the punishment as prescribed in the law. I have my sympathies with the woman’s family,” he said.

The Congress, however, targeted the state government over the police’s alleged delay in registering the FIR. “It took four days for the police to register the FIR since the accused is the son of a BJP leader. It is a serious issue, the whole state is on a boil because of what is happening with women and girls under BJP’s rule,” state unit chief Karan Mahara said.

The BJP dismissed the charges. “There is no question about saving anybody as the accused who committed the crime have already been arrested. The BJP government acts tough against criminals, irrespective of their identity. The chief minister has already given strict instructions to the police,” BJP state media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan said.

Meanwhile, Srinagar circle officer Shyam Dutt Nautiyal said that reports suggesting the woman was sexually assaulted can only be ascertained following a medical examination of the deceased.

The accused have been sent to 14-day judicial custody, said police.