'Extortion bid, death threat': Actress Urmila Sanawar arrested on complaint by ex-BJP MLA's daughter

Haridwar police arrested actress Urmila Sanawar on Sunday after the daughter of former Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Suresh Rathore accused her of demanding five crore rupees and the transfer of real estate. The complaint, filed at the Ranipur police station, alleges that Sanawar threatened to kill the complainant’s family members and implicate Rathore in false cases if her financial and property demands were not met. Authorities located Sanawar in Saharanpur, where they seized a mobile phone believed to have been used during the incident. She is currently being produced before a local court. The arrest follows a series of legal proceedings involving Sanawar and Rathore regarding the 2022 murder of a resort receptionist in Rishikesh. On Friday, both individuals appeared before a special Central Bureau of Investigation court in Dehradun. They voluntarily consented to undergo narcoanalysis and polygraph examinations as part of the ongoing investigation. The court session was originally scheduled to resume on October 26. This procedural step stems from demands by the victim’s parents to verify audio recordings released by Sanawar. These recordings allegedly identify a politically connected individual referred to as a VIP in connection with the homicide. Deepika Rathore, the complainant, stated that Sanawar contacted her via WhatsApp late on Saturday. According to the police record, Sanawar demanded five crore rupees and required Rathore to transfer the Ravidas Dham property to her name. The complaint further alleges that Sanawar issued death threats against the Rathore family. Additionally, Deepika Rathore accused Sanawar of damaging her family’s reputation by making derogatory remarks about her father on social media platforms. The allegations include claims that Rathore maintained illicit relationships with women in Dehradun and elsewhere. Sanawar is also accused of threatening to assault Rathore with slippers within court premises. Police registered a First Information Report citing multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Indecent Representation of Women Prohibition Act. The charges include extortion through threats of death or grievous hurt, defamation, and publishing material intended to insult the modesty of a woman. Senior Superintendent of Police Navneet Singh Bhullar confirmed that a team led by the Ranipur station inspector executed the raid at Sanawar’s residence in Saharanpur. Records indicate that nine previous cases have been registered against Sanawar across Saharanpur, Dehradun, Ranipur, and Haridwar. One prior complaint, filed by Deepika Rathore last year, alleged that Sanawar and a male associate circulated objectionable photographs and videos of her online. Police arrested the male co-accused in that instance and submitted a chargesheet to the court. The broader legal dispute centers on the murder of a 19-year-old receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Yamkeshwar, near Rishikesh. The victim was killed on September 18, 2022, by resort owner Pulkit Arya and two staff members, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta. A trial court in Kotdwar convicted the trio in May 2025 and sentenced them to life imprisonment. Arya is the son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya. The current CBI inquiry focuses specifically on allegations raised in the audio clips, which remain distinct from the new extortion case against Sanawar. Sanawar has publicly claimed to be Rathore’s wife, although he has refused to acknowledge this status. During her recent court appearance, she warned reporters that if her narcoanalysis was recorded on camera, hidden secrets regarding the Pauri Garhwal murder would be revealed. The initial audio release sparked significant public outrage in Uttarakhand. The state government ordered a CBI probe on January 11 following these revelations. The recordings implicated Dushyant Kumar Gautam, a senior BJP leader who served as the party’s in-charge for Uttarakhand. Gautam was recently appointed as the governor of Sikkim. He has denied the allegations linking him to the crime. The victim’s parents staged protests in New Delhi demanding the cancellation of Gautam’s gubernatorial appointment due to the perceived conflict of interest.