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Ankita Bhandari Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 28, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth2003

Age19 Years (at time of death)

BirthplaceSrikot, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India

ProfessionHotel Receptionist

NationalityIndian

Marital statusUnmarried

FamilyFather - Virendra Singh Bhandari; Mother - Soni Devi; Brother - Ajay Singh Bhandari

Ankita Bhandari Biography

Ankita Bhandari was a young hotel receptionist from Srikot, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. She worked at Vantara Resort in Rishikesh and died on 18 September

Early life and background

Ankita Bhandari was born in 2003 and grew up in Srikot, Pauri Garhwal, in Uttarakhand. Raised in a modest household, her father Virendra Singh Bhandari worked as a farmer and her mother Soni Devi was employed as an aanganwadi worker. Ankita had an elder brother, Ajay Singh Bhandari, who worked in a private firm in Delhi.

At school she performed well academically. She completed her education at B R Modern School in Pauri and finished her class 12 exams with strong marks, including recognition in business studies. After school she completed a six-month diploma in hotel management, preparing for work in the hospitality industry.

Career

After finishing her diploma, Ankita began working at Vantara Resort in Rishikesh as a receptionist. She joined the resort on 28 August 2022. Her role placed her in daily contact with guests and resort staff as part of the property’s front-desk team.

Personal life

Ankita was unmarried. Reports from the period before her death indicate she had a relationship with a man named Pushap Deep, described as being from Jammu. Physically she was about 160 cm tall (approximately 5 feet 3 inches) with black hair and black eyes.

Death and investigation

Ankita went missing on 18 September 2022 after failing to answer calls from her family. Her father filed a missing-person complaint with the local revenue police. The case was later transferred to the Laxman Jhula police, who arrested three suspects within 24 hours: Pulkit Arya, the owner of Vantara Resort and son of local politician Vinod Arya; the resort manager, Ankit Gupta; and a friend, Saurabh Bhaskar.

According to police statements made during the investigation, the three suspects admitted to involvement in an altercation with Ankita and said she was pushed into a nearby canal. Ankita’s body was recovered by the State Disaster Response Force from the Chilla canal’s barrage on 24 September 2022. A preliminary autopsy conducted by AIIMS Rishikesh reported injuries consistent with blunt force trauma and determined drowning as the cause of death.

Her family initially declined to perform the last rites until a final autopsy report was made public. After appeals from local authorities and the state’s chief minister, the family agreed to conduct the rites. Ankita’s funeral took place on 25 September 2022 at the NIT Ghat of Srinagar in Pauri Garhwal. A large number of people attended, and several regional politicians expressed condolences and offered support to the family.

During the inquiry, police reviewed Ankita’s WhatsApp messages and found conversations in which she described pressure to provide sexual services to some guests. Investigators also noted a phone call in which she contacted a resort chef, saying she was distressed and asking him to bring her bag to a location; the chef reported he could not find her when he arrived.

Legal outcome

In May 2025, a court in Kotdwar convicted Pulkit Arya and his two alleged accomplices and sentenced them to life imprisonment for their roles in Ankita’s murder.

Public profile

Ankita’s death sparked significant public attention and media coverage across the state. Authorities faced public pressure to act quickly, and the state government committed to support the family and pursue the case in a fast-track court. The circumstances of her death drew commentary from political figures and widespread local sympathy for her family.

Latest updates

The most recent legal development recorded in the available information is the life sentences handed down by a Kotdwar court in May 2025 to the three convicted in her death. No further professional projects or public activities were recorded following Ankita’s employment at the resort.
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Recent Work

Receptionist at Vantara Resort, Rishikesh

Started working at the resort on 28 August 2022 after completing a six-month diploma in hotel management.

2022
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Career Highlights

  1. Completed a diploma in hotel management and began work at Vantara Resort in August 2022
  2. Recognized as a high-performing student in school, topping her class in business studies and scoring strongly in class 12
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Ankita Bhandari born?

2003

What is Ankita Bhandari known for?

Hotel Receptionist

What is Ankita Bhandari’s marital status?

Unmarried