Urmila Sanawar

Urmila Sanawar is an Indian television actress who has become a central figure in the Ankita Bhandari murder case in Uttarakhand after alleging that a “VIP” was involved in the 2022 killing. Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist at Vanantra Resort in Pauri, was murdered by resort owner Pulkit Arya and two of his employees, and all three were sentenced to life imprisonment, ThePrint reported, citing PTI.

Sanawar released an audio recording on social media that she says captured her conversations with former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore. The Central Bureau of Investigation issued notices to both about the clip and is investigating the authenticity of the viral recordings, Pioneer reported. Sikkim Governor Dushyant Gautam is being alleged to be the VIP. He has denied the allegations.

On 23 October 2026 Sanawar and Rathore gave their consent before a CBI court to undergo a narco-analysis test. On 13 November 2026 the CBI court in Dehradun ordered narco-analysis and polygraph tests of Sanawar. Her lawyer, Shivani Tomar, said the tests will be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, and the date has not been fixed.

Sources: ThePrint (PTI), Pioneer (PTI), Devdiscourse (ANI).