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Uttarakhand police to file charge-sheet in receptionist murder case in 2-3 days
The Uttarakhand police have said that their investigation in the Pauri Garhwal receptionist murder case has been completed
The Uttarakhand police’s special investigation team (SIT) led by deputy inspector general (DIG) P Renuka Devi probing the Pauri Garhwal receptionist murder case will file charge-sheet in court in the next two-three days, said senior officials.
“Our investigation in the receptionist murder case has been completed. We are preparing to file the charge-sheet and it will be filed in the next two-three days, before the due date (within 90 days from the date of the accused’s arrest) on December 22,” said V Murugesan, additional director general of police (ADGP), law and order and who is also the spokesperson for state police.
The police have also filed an application in the Pauri court for a Narco test of the three accused.
On December 12, the court of judicial magistrate, Kotdwar fixed the matter for next hearing on December 22 after one of the accused, Ankit, sought 10 days to give consent for the Narco test.
Narco test involves the injection of a drug, sodium pentothal, which induces a hypnotic or sedated state in which the subject’s imagination is neutralised, and they are expected to divulge true information.
Since the case involved an expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader’s son, the opposition Congress has questioned the fairness in the investigation, asking why the police is not revealing the name of the VIP for whom the victim was being pressurised for sexual favours.
The 19-year-old woman, who was working as a receptionist at the Vanantara Resort in Pauri district, was allegedly murdered by the three accused for refusing to provide “extra service” to the VIP guests, the police said. A WhatsApp conversation between the victim and her close friend, which went viral on social media, suggested that the accused had forced her to provide “extra service” to the VIP guest expected to come to the resort on September 19.
The receptionist girl’s body was found on September 24, six days after she went missing from her home. According to police, the girl was murdered on September 18. All three accused are currently in jail. The Vanantara resort in Pauri Garhwal is owned by Pulkit Arya, who is the son of now-expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya. The three arrested in the case include Pulkit Arya and two employees of the resort.
The murder had sparked massive outrage and protests in various parts of the state. Angry locals set fire to the resort. Later, authorities demolished parts of the resort, saying the structures were illegally constructed. A petition was also filed in the high court, accusing BJP legislator Renu Bisht of destroying evidence in the case. Bisht, BJP MLA from Yamkeshwar, was present outside the resort at the time of the demolition. The petitioner, Ashutosh Negi, a resident of Pauri Garhwal, also demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the matter.
