'They brought girls...': Uttarakhand resort ex worker on teen murder accused

Pulkit Arya and two other men have been arrested and are being investigated for the murder of the young woman who worked as a receptionist at the resort near Rishikesh.

A former employee of a resort in Uttarakhand - which is at the centre of a controversy after the alleged murder of a 19-year-old woman employee - has accused Pulkit Arya, who is the main accused in the case, of misbehaving and verbally abusing female staff. Pulkit Arya is the owner of the property and the son of now-expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya.

Pulkit Arya and two other men have been arrested and are being investigated for the murder of the young woman who worked as a receptionist at the resort near Rishikesh.

"I joined Vanantara resort (in) Rishikesh in May but left in July. Ankit Gupta and Pulkit Arya misbehaved and verbally abused girls. They used to bring girls... VIPs came too," she said.

The former employee spoke to news agency ANI but her name has not been disclosed.

A preliminary post-mortem indicated the young woman drowned. However, the report also found evidence of antemortem injuries - those received before death.

Last week, Pulkit Arya, Ankit Gupta (an assistant manager) and Saurabh Bhaskar (the resort manager) were arrested and sent to judicial custody for 14 days.

Buildings at the resort were demolished but that triggered a furious response from critics and activists, who said crucial evidence may have also been destroyed.

However, a member of the police team investigating the alleged murder said Monday that all physical and forensic evidence had been secured before the demolition and is being studied.

Meanwhile, the mother of the young woman has said the funeral was conducted 'hurriedly' and without her consent. The funeral was held at the ITI Ghat in Pauri Garhwal, just hours after the woman's family refused to cremate her till the final autopsy report.

She was cremated reportedly after the state promised a 'fair investigation'.