Haridwar (Uttarakhand) [India], October 25 (ANI): Haridwar's Ranipur Kotwali police arrested actress Urmila Sanawar on Sunday from her residence in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, over alleged derogatory remarks on social media and money extortion.
The arrest comes a day after the daughter of former MLA Suresh Rathore lodged an FIR against Sanawar at the Ranipur Kotwali police station. According to the complaint, Sanawar had been demanding that the 'Ravidas Peeth' be transferred to her name.
When this demand was not met, she allegedly demanded Rs 5 crore in extortion. The complaint further states that the actress threatened to kill the family and circulate photos and videos on social media if the money was not paid. Acting on the complaint, the police registered a case, launched an investigation, and apprehended Sanawar from Saharanpur.
On actress Urmila Sanawar’s arrest, Deepak Singh, Haridwar SP City, said, "Deepika Rathore filed a written complaint at Ranipur Police Station on the night of 24 October, against Urmila Sanawar for obscene and derogatory remarks on social media, damage to her family’s reputation and attempts to transfer Ravidas Dham property into the accused’s name in connection with Rs 5 crore. Given the sensitivity of the case, the Haridwar SSP formed a team, which arrested Urmila Sanawar in Saharanpur. Nine cases had previously been registered against the accused, who has been produced before a magistrate for judicial custody."
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) served a formal notice to actress Sanawar at her residence in Saharanpur to appear for a narco-analysis test in an ongoing investigation into a viral audio clip linked to the high-profile murder case of Ankita Bhandari.
According to Sanawar, a CBI team arrived at her home on Wednesday after a preliminary four-hour questioning session held on October 18.
"The CBI questioned me on the 18th. Today, I received a call from a CBI officer asking if I was at home. Upon arriving at my residence, they served me a notice for a narco-analysis test and asked me to appear before them the day after tomorrow at 10:30 AM. This notice is related to the audio clip that went viral in the Ankita Bhandari murder case," Sanawar told ANI.
The official notice served to Sanawar directs her to appear on October 23, 2026, to ascertain her voluntary consent for narcotics examinations.
This comes amid the row over the alleged involvement of a "VIP" in the Ankita Bhandari murder case, which has escalated following the appointment of former BJP Uttarakhand in-charge Dushyant Gautam as the Governor of Sikkim.
Earlier in the month, a four-member CBI team had reached actress Sanawar’s residence in Saharanpur in connection with the Ankita Bhandari murder case. The row is linked to the September 2022 murder of Ankita Bhandari, a receptionist at a resort near Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. (ANI)
Haridwar Police arrest actress Urmila Sanawar over alleged derogatory remarks on social media, money extortion
