New Delhi [India], September 18 (ANI): Delhi Police have claimed to have solved the murder of 31-year-old Yuvraj Singh Manchanda, who went missing from Lajpat Nagar earlier this month, with the arrest of his former office colleague Anya Vats and her associate Sanyam Sachdeva in Uttarakhand, officials said.
According to police, the accused allegedly shot Yuvraj dead and disposed of his body in a drain near their house in Gurugram's Badshahpur area. Both accused were produced before the concerned court, which granted five days of police custody remand.
The case came to light after Yuvraj's sister lodged a complaint regarding his disappearance at Lajpat Nagar police station at around 4:15 pm on September 11. Subsequently, an FIR under Section 140(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered.
According to the complaint, on September 6, Yuvraj, a resident of Sarita Vihar, had gone shopping with his sister at Central Market, Lajpat Nagar. The family later went to a restaurant in Lajpat Nagar-II, from where Yuvraj left around 4 pm, telling them that he had a meeting in Gurugram and would return home by around 10 pm.
However, he did not return, and his mobile phone was switched off. The family continued receiving messages from his number over the next two days, claiming that he was safe, had secured a major business deal and wanted to work undisturbed for some time before returning home.
Yuvraj was due to get married in about a month and had purchased wedding-related items, including a sherwani, during the shopping trip, according to his family.
During the investigation, police conducted technical analysis of Call Detail Records (CDR) and IP Detail Records (IPDR), besides examining CCTV footage and conducting local enquiries.
The investigation revealed that Yuvraj's last conversation was with his former office colleague Anya Vats. Police said Yuvraj and Anya had worked together at the Emaar Group until 2022.
As the mobile phones of both Yuvraj and Anya were subsequently found switched off, police examined CCTV footage, conducted enquiries at the offices of the missing person and suspect, and followed other technical leads.
During sustained investigation, Anya emerged as a prime suspect. Police mounted surveillance and detected a new mobile number allegedly being used by her. Further analysis of call records, location details and other technical evidence indicated her presence in Uttarakhand.
A police team was subsequently sent to Uttarakhand, where Anya Vats and Sanyam Sachdeva were traced and apprehended.
During interrogation, police said both accused disclosed their involvement in Yuvraj's murder and the disposal of his body in a drain or nala near their house in Gurugram.
Further investigation revealed that on September 10, the Badshahpur police station in Gurugram had recovered an unidentified dead body from a drain within its jurisdiction.
Police obtained photographs of the recovered body and showed them to Yuvraj's sister and other family members, who identified the deceased as Yuvraj based on his clothes and physical description visible in the photographs.
However, Yuvraj's family has raised questions over the handling of the unidentified body by Gurugram Police. His sister alleged that despite the body being recovered on September 10, details were not uploaded on JIPNET as an unclaimed body and the body was cremated on September 14.
The family alleged that after learning about Yuvraj's murder on September 16, they approached Gurugram Police seeking his ashes and clothes. According to the family, they were told that the clothes had been given to someone in need, while the ashes had already been immersed in a water body.
The family also alleged that they were not shown the post-mortem report. Yuvraj's sister claimed that the family maintains he was shot dead, while Gurugram Police had attributed his death to drowning.
Delhi Police said that on the basis of the investigation and material collected so far, prima facie involvement of Anya Vats and Sanyam Sachdeva in the murder of Yuvraj and subsequent concealment and disposal of his body had been established.
Both accused were arrested in accordance with law and produced before the concerned court, which granted five days of police custody remand.
Further investigation is underway to identify and point out locations linked to the crime, collect technical and forensic evidence and establish the complete sequence of events surrounding Yuvraj's death, police said. (ANI)
Delhi Police solve Yuvraj Manchanda murder case, former colleague among 2 arrested in Uttarakhand
