Delhi man goes to meet ex-colleague in Gurugram, found dead in drain 4 days later

Yuvraj Singh Manchanda, 31, was last seen on September 6 when he went shopping in Lajpat Nagar followed by eating at a restaurant with his sister. He told his family that he was going to Gurugram to meet a former colleague, Anya Vats. His body was recovered from a drain near the home of Vats and her partner Sanyam Sachdeva four days later.

In Short

• Accused couple drove seven hours trying to find place to dump the body
• Yuvraj Manchanda's ex-colleague, Anya Vats, was previously charged with fraud
• She told police that she shot Manchanda dead after a fight between them

A 31-year-old Delhi man, who went missing after meeting a former colleague in Gurugram, was allegedly murdered with his body found dumped in a drain, police said on Thursday. The former colleague and her partner have been arrested in the matter, and police sources told India Today that the couple kept the deceased's body for two days in their car and travelled around Gurugram trying to find the correct place to dump it.

According to police, Yuvraj Singh Manchanda, was a resident of Sarita Vihar in south Delhi and worked at a prominent real estate developer's office. He was last seen on September 6 when he went out shopping with his sister in Lajpat Nagar's Central Market before visiting Golden Dragon Restaurant.

At around 4 pm, he left the restaurant, telling his family that he had a meeting in Gurugram with his former colleague Anya Vats and would return home by around 10 pm. When he failed to return and his mobile phone was found switched off, his family began to worry and tried to trace him.

On September 11, his sister approached the police and filed a missing-person complaint. An FIR was subsequently registered under Section 140 (3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

During the investigation, police analysed call detail records (CDRs), internet protocol detail records (IPDRs), CCTV footage and other technical evidence. The probe revealed that Manchanda's last conversation was with Vats.

When both Manchanda's and Vats's phones were switched off, police expanded the investigation to include CCTV footage, local enquiries and checks at the offices of the deceased and the suspect. This led to the discovery of a new mobile number, which Vats was using, and it was traced to Uttarakhand.

A police team went to the hill state where Vats and her partner, Sanyam Sachdeva, were caught.

During interrogation, the couple told police that they were married and had a one-year-old son, The Times of India reported. Police said that Manchanda and Vats had worked together for another real estate developer in 2022, but she was later sacked from the company due to financial irregularities, The Times of India report added. Furthermore, both Vats and Sachdeva are reportedly unemployed currently.

Vats told police during the investigation that she called Manchanda and invited him to Gurugram. Then, an argument broke out inside Manchanda's car, following which he was allegedly murdered. She claimed that she shot Manchanda dead, and with the help of her partner, disposed of the body.

BIG REVELATIONS DURING INVESTIGATION

During investigation, the police found out that Vats called Manchanda for a meeting in Gurugram on September 6. However, she and Sachdeva discared the body two days later. Then on September 10, Badshahpur police station in Gurugram recovered an unidentified body from a drain. Later, photos of the unidentified person were shown to Yuvraj Manchanda's family, who identified the body as his.

Also, Anya Vats has previously been charged with fraud at the Parliament Street police station in Delhi. She reportedly used to pose as a government officer and deceive people by promising to get their work done. She would take large sums of money in exchange for the work, and then disappear. As per the FIR filed against her, she has been charged with defrauding many people of lakhs of rupees.

Vats and Sachdeva were in a live-in relationship and shared a five-month-old child. Meanwhile, his divorce proceedings with his first wife are still underway. They both previously worked together as HRs in a company but are currently unemployed.

Vats and Manchanda both worked together in a real estate firm earlier. She was sacked from the job earlier this month whereas he quit it several months before. Preliminary investigation revealed that she had borrowed money from Manchanda and had failed to return it on several occasions. Manchanda had mentioned about it to his friend and family as well. However, later when he asked her to give him a post-dated cheque, she obliged and it was cleared as well.

Anya Vats and Sanyam Sachdeva have been sent to five days of police custody. Police are now working to establish the complete sequence of events, identify and examine relevant locations, and collect further technical and forensic evidence. The motive behind the alleged murder and the precise sequence of events leading to Yuvraj's death are also being investigated.

- Ends