NEW DELHI: Police are probing whether the body of 31-year-old Yuvraj Singh Manchanda, an executive at Adani Realty, was kept inside a car for two days after he was allegedly murdered by two former colleagues.The accused couple, Anya Vats and her partner Sanyam Sachdeva, both residents of Gurgaon, have been arrested. Police said both have a criminal history.Investigators are also examining conflicting statements given by the couple about how long Yuvraj’s body remained inside their car and what happened before it was dumped in a drain.
Conflicting accounts over body disposal
Police sources said Vats and Sachdeva initially told investigators that they kept Yuvraj’s body inside the vehicle for around seven hours. Their statements later changed, prompting investigators to verify the timeline.The couple have been taken to several locations as part of the investigation. Police are trying to establish where Yuvraj met them, how the alleged killing took place, where they travelled afterwards and the route they took before disposing of his body.According to the preliminary investigation, Vats and Sachdeva had asked Yuvraj to meet them near a mall in Sector 70, Gurgaon, on 6 September. Yuvraj reportedly reached the location in his own car, left it there and joined the couple in their vehicle.An argument allegedly broke out between them, following which Yuvraj was killed, police suspect.Investigators believe Vats and Sachdeva then parked the vehicle containing Yuvraj’s body and travelled to different locations using autos and cabs. They allegedly returned to the vehicle later and dumped the body in a drain near their home.The couple also told investigators that they drove around Gurgaon before parking the vehicle, looking for a place to dispose of the body.They later fled to Uttarakhand, where they were detained. Yuvraj’s decomposed body was found in the drain on 10 September.
Police probe possible money dispute
Investigators are examining a possible monetary dispute between Yuvraj and the accused.Police said Vats and Sachdeva gave different accounts of the amount allegedly involved. They initially cited a dispute over Rs 5 lakh but later changed the figure to Rs 25 lakh.Police are verifying these claims and examining whether the dispute was connected to the trio’s professional dealings in the real estate sector.Yuvraj, Vats and Sachdeva had worked together at the same firm between 2019 and 2022. Yuvraj later moved to another job.Vats was allegedly removed from the company over financial irregularities, according to investigators. She and Sachdeva later worked as freelancers and became involved in property dealings.Police are investigating whether a dispute involving clients and real estate transactions contributed to the alleged confrontation.
Accused couple’s criminal records
Police said Vats has two cheating cases registered against her.One was registered at Parliament Street police station, where she is accused of allegedly cheating by posing as a government official. Another case was registered in Greater Noida.A domestic violence case was registered against Sachdeva by his wife, officers said.Investigators are examining these cases as part of their probe into the background of the accused.
Autopsy says drowning
The autopsy report recorded drowning as the cause of Yuvraj’s death, police said.Investigators said there were no bullet injuries on his body, rejecting claims that he had been shot.Police also said the body appeared to have remained in water for several days.Investigators are awaiting further material, including Yuvraj’s belongings and the postmortem report from Gurgaon Police. They are also examining forensic evidence and the statements of the accused to establish the sequence of events.
Family learns of death six days later
Yuvraj’s family says they only learnt that his body had been found days after it was recovered.“Our mother is waiting for me to bring back something – anything to remember Yuvraj by. His clothes, his watch… or now, even his ashes,” said Karishma Manchanda, Yuvraj’s older sister.His body was found by Haryana Police on 10 September, but the family says they were informed only on 16 September.By then, his body had already been cremated by police.Karishma said her family has still not been given his remains. She said she learnt about the discovery of her brother’s body only after going to Badshahpur police station in Gurgaon on 16 September.The family was then told that Yuvraj’s body had been recovered six days earlier and had already been cremated.Police are now trying to establish the precise timeline of Yuvraj’s death, the period for which his body remained in the vehicle and the events that followed before it was dumped in the drain.(With inputs from Nikhil Sharma, G S Dhanush)
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