Haridwar police arrested actress Urmila Sanawar following a complaint accusing her of demanding ₹5 crore, threatening a family and seeking the transfer of a property linked to Ravidas Peeth
BY PC Bureau
October 25, 2026 — Actress Urmila Sanawar was arrested by Haridwar police on Sunday, a day before she was due to appear before a special CBI court in Dehradun in proceedings related to proposed narco-analysis and polygraph tests over her allegations of a “VIP” link to the murder of Ankita Bhandari.
Ranipur Kotwali police took Sanawar into custody from her residence in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and brought her to Haridwar. She is expected to be produced before a court in connection with a complaint filed on Saturday night by Deepika Rathore, daughter of former Jwalapur MLA Suresh Rathore.
According to the complaint, Sanawar allegedly made obscene and defamatory remarks about Deepika Rathore on social media, damaging her reputation and outraging her modesty. She is also accused of making WhatsApp calls demanding that the Ravidas Peeth, also known as Ravidas Dham, property in Haridwar be transferred to her name.
The complaint alleges that after the demand was not met, Sanawar sought ₹5 crore and threatened to kill Rathore and her family. She also allegedly threatened to circulate photographs and videos online.However, it’s not clear whether Deppita Rathore’s claim was backed by any evidence. The timing of the arrest has raised eyebrows.
Urmila Sanwar has been arrested today. She first drew attention when she claimed,citing a BJP MLA,that Dushyant Gautam arranges girls for B.L. Santhosh.
A narco test is scheduled for October 26 as part of the CBI investigation into the Ankita Bhandari case. https://t.co/XLtaTiN8pT— Surya Yadav (@suryaupse) October 25, 2026
Police registered a case under Sections 308(5), 308(7), 79, 356(3) and 356(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 4 and 10 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.
A police team led by Inspector Manohar Bhandari carried out the arrest and recovered a mobile phone. Haridwar SP (City) Deepak Singh confirmed the action and said several cases had previously been registered against Sanawar.
The allegations in the complaint have not been established in court.
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Arrest comes ahead of proposed narco tests
Sanawar’s arrest comes amid renewed scrutiny of her claims about the September 18, 2022, murder of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari, who worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort near Rishikesh.
On October 23, Sanawar and Suresh Rathore reportedly gave their voluntary consent before a special CBI court to undergo narco-analysis and polygraph tests. Sanawar was due to appear before the court on October 26, when the proceedings were expected to address the next steps.
The proposed tests relate to viral audio recordings released by Sanawar in which she alleged that a politically influential “VIP” was connected to Ankita’s murder. She has claimed that some of the recordings feature conversations with Rathore, whom she has described as her husband. Rathore has denied that claim.
Sanawar’s allegations have also pointed towards senior BJP figures, including Dushyant Gautam, who was recently appointed Governor of Sikkim. Gautam has denied the allegations. The CBI is examining the authenticity of the recordings and the alleged VIP angle.
CBI probe into VIP angle
Three accused in Ankita Bhandari’s murder were earlier convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. The alleged VIP angle returned to public attention after the audio clips and related claims resurfaced, prompting renewed scrutiny of whether anyone beyond the convicted accused was involved.
Sanawar’s arrest in the separate Haridwar case raises questions about how the proceedings scheduled for October 26 will now unfold. Police have said she will be produced before a court in the case arising from Rathore’s complaint.
