Ankita Bhandari Case: Urmila Sanawar Agrees to Narco Test in CBI Court, But Demands Open Test and Narco Tests of Suresh Rathore, Arti Gaur, Darshan Bharti and Sikkim Governor
Dehradun, Oct 23, 2026 – Actress Urmila Sanawar, the estranged wife of former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore, who had disclosed the name of alleged VIPs in the Ankita Bhandari case through a leaked mobile conversation, appeared before the CBI court in Dehradun today and gave her consent for a narco-analysis test.
Sanawar, who released a 48-minute audio clip that allegedly points to a VIP link in the murder of receptionist Ankita Bhandari at Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh on September 18, 2022, said she is ready for the test as demanded by Ankita’s aggrieved parents.
However, she placed two conditions:
1. Her test must be conducted openly in the presence of the media.
2. Besides her, the CBI must also conduct narco tests of Suresh Rathore, Arti Gaur, Swamy Darshan Bharti and the alleged VIP.
The alleged VIP, who was named in the telephonic conversation between Sanawar and Rathore, has now been elevated as Governor of Sikkim – Dushyant Gautam – which grants him constitutional immunity from criminal indictment. Gautam has denied all allegations. Sanawar has demanded his narco test as well.
Both Sanawar and Rathore gave their consent for polygraph and narco tests on Friday before the special CBI court. The court has fixed the next hearing for October 26 to decide on her condition for media presence.
Outside the court, Sanawar said: _”I have given my consent for the narco test as I have nothing to lose. I will ensure that Ankita gets justice. I neither have anyone sponsoring me nor do I have anything to do with the state government.”
She also alleged that she was offered Rs 50 crore and a chance to leave the country to lie about the viral audio clip. She claimed a forensic report has confirmed the authenticity of the tape.
Raising suspicion over the CBI investigation, Sanawar said that the CBI action came only after Ankita’s parents protested near India Gate in Delhi, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited the protest site, and the parents met CBI officers along with MP Anil Baluni.
She alleged that instead of procuring the crucial 48-minute tape and other evidences already handed over to the SIT that earlier investigated the case, the CBI team came to her residence in Saharanpur on October 18 and October 22 for interrogation and asked her to come to Delhi CBI headquarters with all the evidences.
The CBI took over the probe in February this year and registered a case against an “unknown VIP” by its Special Crime Branch. The three main accused – resort owner Pulkit Arya, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta – have already been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the SIT court.
