Messages from murdered Delhi man's phone kept family in dark for 2 days
The family of 31-year-old Yuvraj Singh Manchanda continued receiving messages from his phone for two days after he went missing, even as the accused allegedly moved around Gurugram with his body before dumping it in a drain, sources told India Today.
The messages were received between September 6 and 8. Police are now examining who sent them and whether they were intended to mislead the family into believing that Yuvraj was still alive.
After allegedly dumping the body in Badshahpur on September 8, Anya Vats and her partner, Sanyam Sachdeva, travelled to Kainchi Dham in Uttarakhand and stayed at a PG guest house. Delhi Police later traced them using a new mobile number allegedly being used by Vats.
The two have been arrested and sent to five days of police custody.
Manchanda, a resident of Sarita Vihar in south Delhi, worked at a prominent real estate company. On September 6, he went shopping with his sister at Lajpat Nagar’s Central Market before visiting the Golden Dragon Restaurant.
At around 4 pm, he told his family that he was going to Gurugram to meet Vats, a former colleague, and would return by 10 pm.
Sources said Vats had called him for the meeting. The two met outside a mall in Gurugram, where Manchanda left his vehicle and entered her Creta.
When he failed to return and his phone was found switched off, his family began searching for him. His sister filed a missing-person complaint on September 11, following which an FIR was registered under Section 140(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.PHONE MESSAGES UNDER POLICE SCANNER
The messages sent from Manchanda’s phone between September 6 and 8 have emerged as a key part of the investigation.
Police are examining the timing and content of the messages and trying to establish who had access to his phone after he disappeared.
Investigators are also reconstructing Manchanda’s movements after he met Vats, including the locations visited by the accused and the movement of the Creta.
The phone activity is being examined alongside call records, internet protocol detail records, CCTV footage and other technical evidence collected during the probe.BODY KEPT IN CAR FOR HOURS
Manchanda was allegedly killed after meeting Vats and Sachdeva. The two allegedly kept his body in the Creta and drove around Gurugram for several hours while looking for a place to dispose of it, sources said.
They allegedly dumped the body in a drain in Badshahpur on September 8.
Gurugram Police recovered an unidentified body from the area on September 10. Manchanda’s family later identified him through photographs.
Delhi Police has recovered the Creta and a weapon. Investigators are examining whether the weapon was used in the killing.
The post-mortem report is awaited and the precise cause of death has not yet been established.HOW POLICE TRACKED THE ACCUSED
Police examined call records, internet protocol detail records, CCTV footage and other technical evidence during the investigation.
The probe found that Manchanda’s last known conversation was with Vats. With both their phones switched off, investigators conducted local enquiries and checked CCTV footage from locations linked to them.
Police subsequently identified a new mobile number allegedly being used by Vats and traced it to Uttarakhand.
Vats and Sachdeva were staying at a PG guest house in Kainchi Dham after allegedly disposing of the body. A Delhi Police team detained them there.FINANCIAL DISPUTE SUSPECTED
A financial dispute prima facie appears to be the motive, sources said.
Manchanda and Vats had worked together at a real estate company. Police are examining whether they had common clients or other shared business interests.
Vats’s bank account showed frequent transactions, with incoming funds allegedly being transferred out soon after they were received. The account was nearly empty around the time of the incident, sources said.
The investigation also indicated that Vats had borrowed money from Manchanda and allegedly failed to return it on several occasions. Manchanda had spoken about the matter to his family and friends.
Police are investigating whether the financial dispute or dealings involving common clients led to the alleged killing.ANYA NAMED IN CHEATING CASES
Vats has previously been named in two cheating cases, sources said.
One of the cases was registered at Delhi’s Parliament Street police station. Vats allegedly posed as a government officer and took money from people by promising to get their work done.
Vats and Sachdeva had earlier worked together as human resources professionals and were living together. They have a young child.
Sachdeva’s divorce from his first wife has not been finalised. Both accused are currently unemployed, sources said.FAMILY FLAGS FORENSIC LAPSE
Manchanda’s family has accused Gurugram Police of failing to preserve crucial forensic evidence after recovering his body.
The family claimed that police preserved DNA samples but not viscera. The post-mortem report and the precise cause of death are still awaited.
Police are now reconstructing the events between September 6 and 8, including Manchanda’s meeting with Vats, the messages sent from his phone, the movement of the Creta and the accused’s journey to Uttarakhand.
The investigation is also focused on establishing who used Manchanda’s phone after his disappearance and whether the messages were part of an attempt to conceal the alleged crime.- EndsPublished By: Aprameya RaoPublished On: Sep 18, 2026 19:09 IST
