E-Paper
Revenue official denies link with accused in Ankita Bhandari murder case
A revenue sub-inspector (patwari) in Uttarakhand, who was suspended for his alleged role in the murder of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari, has dismissed all charges against him and said “he is ready to face any punishment if he is guilty”.
A revenue sub-inspector (patwari) in Uttarakhand, who was suspended for his alleged role in the murder of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari, has dismissed all charges against him and said “he is ready to face any punishment if he is guilty”.
Patwari Vaibhav Pratap Singh, who was revenue sub-inspector of Udaipur Palla-2, Yamkeshwar tehsil, denied having any “close links” with Pulkit Arya, son of an expelled BJP leader, who is the main accused and has been arrested along with two others. He further dismissed allegation that he did not act promptly on the woman’s disappearance, saying he had posted information on the same on an official WhatsApp group.
Also read: Uttarakhand murder: Revenue official questioned, crime scene recreated
“As soon as I received information about the woman’s disappearance from Pulkit Arya (main accused and son of expelled BJP leader), I called him. My first question to him was have you informed her family? He said he didn’t have her family’s number. Then I asked him for her ID card, which I shared in an official WhatsApp group, asking all revenue officials to contact me if her native place is under their jurisdiction,” he told a Hindi news channel.
He added: “I received her father’s number from the concerned revenue official. Before I could dial his number, I received a call from him. The father said he had a word with Pulkit.”
