Rishikesh: WhatsApp text messages from the murdered Uttarakhand woman to her friend seem to confirm allegations that the teenager was being forced into prostitution by the accused men.
“They are trying to turn me into a prostitute,” read one of her messages to a friend, to whom she was describing her experiences working as a receptionist at the now expelled senior BJP leader’s son’s resort.
Screenshots of text messages from the victim are doing the rounds, where she describes how she was being forced into providing “special services” to clients for ₹ 10,000. Cops have said initial investigations indicate the messages are indeed from the victim, but a more rigorous forensic investigation is being conducted as well.
The victim told her friend that she was inappropriately touched by a man in the resort, but the accused men asked her to not do anything as he was drunk.
An audio clip of a call recording reportedly from the victim to a resort employee has gone viral. She can be heard crying on the phone, and asking the other person to bring her bag upstairs.
Uttarakhand top cop Ashok Kumar has also said that the 19-year-old receptionist, whose body was fished out of a canal this morning, was being pressured by the resort owner to provide “special services” to guests.
Earlier, a Facebook friend of the receptionist had reportedly said that the woman was killed because she refused to have sex with guests as demanded by Pulkit Arya — the owner of the resort where she worked.
The same night that she called this friend, her phone went unreachable after 8:30 pm. When after repeated attempts the friend could not connect to her, he called Pulkit Arya, who said she had gone to her room to sleep.
The next day, when he reportedly called Pulkit again, his phone was found switched off as well. The friend then rang up Ankit, the resort’s manager, who said she was in the gym.
He then spoke to the resort’s Chef, who told him he had not seen the woman that day.
WhatsApp chats indicate that “extra service” — a euphemism for sex — was provided to VVIP guests at the resort for ₹ 10,000.
The chats also reveal that this “extra service” was provided in the guise of spa treatment.
The tone and content of her messages to the friend indicate she felt something was amiss at the resort and did not want to continue working there.
Pulkit Arya was arrested for the murder of the young receptionist at the resort which he owns near Rishikesh, in Pauri district.
Besides Pulkit Arya, resort manager Saurabh Bhaskar and assistant manager Ankit Gupta have been arrested. They confessed to the crime when questioned sternly, cops said.
The incident has triggered huge backlash against the BJP. Earlier today, the BJP kicked out Pulkit Arya’s father — senior leader and former state minister Vinod Arya — and his brother Ankit Arya from the party. The state government also relieved them of their positions as Chairman of the Uttarakhand Mati Kala Board and the Vice President of the state OBC Commission, respectively.
Civic authorities demolished parts of the resort overnight, saying it was built “illegally”. This morning, angry locals torched parts of the resort building that still remain. They are demanding that the resort be completely razed.
Locals vandalised local BJP MLA Renu Bisht’s car earlier today. Cops had to reportedly evacuate her to safety.
An angry mob had attacked the police car when the accused were being taken to a court on Friday. They smashed the windowpanes of the car and beat the three men.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami promised “the harshest action” no matter who is involved. (NDTV)
