A non-bailable warrant has been issued against a woman who sparked controversy after releasing a video claiming that a “VIP” involved in the Ankita Bhandari murder case was a BJP leader, officials said on Saturday.

The warrant was issued by a court in connection with an older case against the woman, identified as Urmila Sanawar.

Police in Haridwar and Dehradun were already searching for her in connection with her social media posts related to the 2022 murder of Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist.

Opposition leaders have demanded a CBI probe into the fresh allegations as well as the murder case, in which three people were sentenced to life imprisonment following a special investigation team inquiry.

Haridwar City Superintendent of Police Abhay Pratap Singh said that after the warrant was issued, police teams were looking for Sanawar in Haridwar, Dehradun, Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

Haridwar police have also constituted a special investigation team to probe the various cases registered against her.

Sanawar claims to be the second wife of former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore. Rathore has denied the claim.

His daughter had lodged a case against Sanawar at the Ranipur Kotwali police station in Haridwar on charges of defamation, tarnishing her image and blackmailing.

Sanawar recently released videos and audio recordings of her alleged conversations with Rathore, alleging that the “VIP” in the Ankita Bhandari murder case was a person named “Gattu”.

In another video, she identified Gattu as a top BJP leader in Uttarakhand.

Rathore, who was expelled from the BJP, said his voice was generated using AI and that the audios were being widely circulated to tarnish his political image.

Police have summoned Rathore to record his statement in connection with a case, but he has not yet appeared.

According to police, a raid was conducted at Sanawar’s house in Saharanpur two days ago, but she was not found there. A notice was subsequently pasted on the house.

In response to the police notice, Rathore’s wife, Ravinder Kaur, went to the police station and sought a week’s extension, saying her husband was out of town. The extension period has now expired.

The Uttarakhand government on Friday said it was ready for any investigation into the Ankita Bhandari murder case “if credible evidence is presented”.

The Congress has demanded a CBI inquiry supervised by a sitting or retired judge of the Supreme Court.

Ankita Bhandari worked as a receptionist at a resort in Pauri district and was allegedly murdered on 18 September, 2022.

The state government had constituted a special investigation team to probe the case. A court later sentenced Pulkit Arya, the owner of the resort and son of a BJP leader, along with two others, to life imprisonment.