The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expelled Vinod Arya And Ankit Arya from the party with immediate effect a day after the leader's another son, Pulkit Arya was arrested in the murder case of a woman receptionist at a resort in Uttarakhand's Pauri, reported news agency PTI
Pulkit, who owns the resort in Pauri's Yamkeshwar block was arrested Friday for allegedly killing the 19-year-old receptionist Ankita Bhandari who had gone missing for the past few days. Two employees of the resort were also arrested.
BJP's media incharge Manveer Chauhan in a statement said that action has been taken against Vinod Arya and Ankit on the orders of state BJP president Mahendra Bhatt, reported PTI.
Vinod Arya, a party leader from Haridwar, has formerly served as a chairman of the Uttarakhand Mati Board with a state minister's rank. Pulkit's brother Ankit is the vice president of state OBC Commission.
Meanwhile, the State Disaster Response Force recovered the body of slain receptionist, Ankita Bhandari from Chilla canal in Rishikesh, reported news agency ANI adding that her relatives were called to identify the body.
"The deceased's brother and father were here and they identified the body. The body found at the barrage is of Ankita Bhandari," said Shekhar Suyal, Additional Superintendent of Police, according to the news agency.
"Search operation was going on from 7am, we took out the body of a woman, her relatives came here & identified it to be the body of Ankita Bhandari. Deadbody taken to AIIMS in Rishikesh," said an SDRF official
As per the ANI report, the accused had confessed that he had pushed the victim into a canal after a dispute following which she drowned.
All three accused - Pulkit Arya, resort manager Saurabh Bhaskar and assistant manager Ankit Gupta -- have been sent to 14-day judicial custody by a court.
(With inputs from agencies)