Fake ED, R&AW links: Accused faced fraud charges weeks before Delhi man's killing
Anya Vats, accused of murdering 31-year-old Yuvraj Singh Manchanda, was booked in a Rs 1.25-crore cheating case less than a month before he was killed, according to an FIR accessed by India Today.
The August 16 FIR also names her partner, Sanyam Sachdeva, who is a co-accused in the murder case. Both were booked for cheating and criminal conspiracy under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The disclosure is significant as police suspect a financial dispute led to Manchanda’s killing. Investigators are now examining whether the allegations in the cheating case have any connection with the murder.FAKE ED NOTICES, CLAIMS OF R&AW LINKS
The complainant alleged that Vats claimed to have access to senior officials in the Union Home Ministry, R&AW, the NIA and the Enforcement Directorate.
She allegedly sent forged notices over WhatsApp to convince him that he was under investigation by the ED.
According to the FIR, Vats claimed former R&AW chief Samant Goel was her uncle. She also identified an alleged joint secretary in the intelligence agency, Anil Gupta, as her local guardian.
Vats allegedly used these purported connections to convince the complainant that she could get the proceedings against him closed.
The complainant said he transferred about Rs 1.25 crore to Vats’s bank account between October 2024 and August 2025 towards supposed government “penalties” and “settlement fees”.
In November 2024, Vats allegedly demanded Rs 96.89 lakh, claiming she had paid the amount on his behalf. She later claimed to have paid Rs 13.85 crore to government agencies and told the complainant that he owed her Rs 26 crore.
The complainant also accused Vats of threatening him and his family. Sachdeva allegedly helped use forged communications and impersonate officials to make the demands appear genuine.FIR FILED WEEKS BEFORE MURDER
The cheating case was registered weeks before Manchanda went missing after meeting Vats in Gurugram on September 6.
Manchanda, a resident of Sarita Vihar in south Delhi, had previously worked with Vats at a real estate company. Sources said she called him for a meeting outside a mall, where he left his vehicle and entered her Creta.
His family continued receiving messages from his phone until September 8. Police are investigating who sent them and whether they were intended to make the family believe he was still alive.
Vats and Sachdeva allegedly drove around Gurugram with Manchanda’s body before dumping it in a drain in Badshahpur on September 8. Gurugram Police recovered the body two days later.
Delhi Police has since recovered the Creta and a weapon. Investigators are examining whether the weapon was used in the killing.MONEY TRAIL UNDER INVESTIGATION
Police are examining Vats’s financial transactions and whether she and Manchanda had common clients or other business interests.
Sources said money credited to her account was transferred out soon after it was received. The account was nearly empty around the time of the killing.
Investigators also found that Vats had allegedly borrowed money from Manchanda and failed to return it on several occasions. He had discussed the dispute with his family and friends.
After allegedly disposing of his body, Vats and Sachdeva travelled to Kainchi Dham in Uttarakhand and stayed at a PG guest house. Delhi Police traced them through a new mobile number allegedly used by Vats and detained them there.
The police are now examining the Rs 1.25-crore cheating case alongside the financial trail in Manchanda’s murder.- EndsPublished By: Aprameya RaoPublished On: Sep 19, 2026 21:55 IST
