The Uttarakhand High Court recorded in June 2026 that the original voice samples and mobile phones of Urmila Sanawar and former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore had been sent to the Central Forensic Laboratory in Chandigarh.
BY Navin Upadhyay
October 15: Nearly ten months after audio recordings linked to the 2022 murder of Ankita Bhandari were sent for forensic examination, the report remains unconfirmed in the public domain, according to the latest information available. The recordings, which allegedly contain references to a “VIP” and details surrounding the case, have fuelled political controversy and competing claims about their authenticity and contents.
A Uttarakhand High Court judgment dated June 3, 2026, recorded the state government’s submission that the original voice samples and mobile phones of actress Urmila Sanawar and former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore had been sent to the Central Forensic Laboratory (CFSL) in Chandigarh, with the report still awaited at that stage.
The recordings have brought BJP national general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam into the public debate after Sanawar identified a person referred to as “Gattu” in the material as Gautam. However, the allegations remain distinct from established facts in the murder case, and the forensic findings are crucial to assessing the material.
Can you imagine the pain they are going through?
Their daughter was brutally Raped & Murdered because of a VIP of BJP.
Instead of arresting that VIP, Narendra Modi made him a state governor.
Now the parents of Ankita can’t even oppose this by any means? Can’t they even sit in a silent protest?
Shame on Narendra Modi.
— Krishna Yadav (@Control_Krishna) October 15, 2026
The tapes and the forensic process
The recordings began circulating on social media in late December 2025 and early January 2026. Sanawar, who claims to be Rathore’s wife, released audio and video material in which Rathore is purportedly heard discussing the case and referring to a person nicknamed “Gattu”.
Sanawar identified “Gattu” as Gautam and alleged that the recordings contained statements about events at the Vanantara resort around the time of Ankita’s murder. She also referred to a video purportedly showing Gautam bathing in the Ganga the following morning and called for his call detail records to be examined. She said the recordings referred to other prominent people but declined to name them publicly.
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These claims have not, by themselves, established that Gautam visited the resort or was involved in the crime.
In January 2026, police took recordings and related electronic material for scientific examination. The Times of India reported on January 17 that Sanawar had submitted her mobile phone to a court in Haridwar and that her voice sample had been collected for forensic analysis.
The Uttarakhand High Court judgment of June 3 subsequently recorded the state government’s submission that the original voice samples of Sanawar and Rathore, along with their mobile phones, had been forwarded to the CFSL in Chandigarh. The report was still awaited at that point.
As of mid-October 2026, no subsequent public update has been verified confirming that the report has been received or released. The precise status of the examination therefore remains unclear.
The forensic findings could help establish whether the voices match the individuals concerned and whether the recordings show signs of editing or digital manipulation. Until the results are available and properly assessed, neither the authenticity of the clips nor the accuracy of the statements attributed to the speakers should be treated as established.
Why the tapes matter
The recordings have become central to renewed demands for an investigation into the alleged “VIP angle” in Ankita’s murder.
Ankita, 19, was working as a receptionist at the Vanantara resort in Uttarakhand when she was murdered in September 2022. Her body was recovered from the Chilla canal area.
On May 30, 2025, a court in Kotdwar sentenced resort owner Pulkit Arya and two employees, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, to life imprisonment. Arya is the son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya.
The convictions and sentences are established judicial outcomes and stand independently of the subsequent controversy over the audio recordings. Allegations of wider involvement must be assessed separately and cannot be treated as proven merely because they have circulated widely.
Sanawar has alleged that the recordings contain statements relevant to the circumstances surrounding the murder and linking Gautam to the resort. Rathore has rejected the material, claiming that an audio clip circulating on social media was AI-generated or fabricated to damage his reputation and that of BJP leaders. He has called for forensic examination and denied possessing the recording.
The competing claims make independent scientific verification particularly important. The forensic report could clarify aspects of the recordings, but any conclusions about criminal responsibility would also have to be assessed against other evidence by the competent authorities.
The central unanswered question
Authorities should clarify whether the examination has been completed and, subject to the requirements of the investigation and legal process, what its findings establish. Until then, the recordings remain a disputed source of serious allegations, not proof of the involvement of any person beyond those convicted.
Transparency about the forensic examination would help separate verifiable evidence from speculation and enable the remaining questions surrounding Ankita’s murder to be addressed through due process.
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