Archive · 19 Sep 2026
Gurugram Murder Probe Raises Questions Over Body’s Cremation
Yuvraj Singh Manchanda was a 31-year-old man who was preparing to get married.
He left a Delhi restaurant on September 6 to meet a former colleague in Gurugram.
He did not return home, and his family reported him missing on September 11.
Police later arrested Anya Vats and Sanyam Sachdeva in Uttarakhand.
Police say the pair allegedly admitted that Manchanda was killed and his body was left in a drain.
Investigators suspect a large financial disagreement may have been involved.
Police sources have described one possible method of killing, but officials have not confirmed it.
Manchanda’s family says an unidentified body was recovered and cremated before they were informed.
The family wants authorities to explain the body’s handling and preserve evidence.
Yuvraj Singh Manchanda, 31, disappeared on September 6 after leaving a Delhi restaurant to meet former colleague Anya Vats in Gurugram.
Police arrested Vats and her husband, Sanyam Sachdeva, in Uttarakhand after technical evidence linked them to the case.
Police say the accused allegedly disclosed that Manchanda was killed and his body dumped in a drain near their Gurugram residence.
Investigators suspect a financial dispute involving crores, while the exact motive and manner of death remain under investigation.
Manchanda’s family alleges Gurugram Police recovered and cremated an unidentified body without informing them and is seeking investigation and forensic records.
- Who
- Yuvraj Singh Manchanda was allegedly killed by former colleague Anya Vats and her husband, Sanyam Sachdeva, according to police.
- What
- Manchanda disappeared and was allegedly murdered, with his body reportedly dumped in a Gurugram drain; his family is also questioning how the body was handled.
- When
- He disappeared on September 6, the family filed a missing-person report on September 11, and the family says the body was cremated on September 14.
- Where
- Manchanda was last seen leaving the Golden Dragon restaurant in Delhi; police say the body was dumped near the accused’s residence in Gurugram, and the arrests occurred in Uttarakhand.
- Why
- Police suspect a financial dispute involving crores, but the precise motive remains under investigation.
Police Account
Family Concerns
Motive
Police Account
Police sources suspect a financial dispute involving crores between Manchanda and Vats; investigators are examining their financial dealings.
Family Concerns
The family says Vats has not disclosed the actual reason for the alleged killing.
Handling of the body
Police Account
Authorities say an unidentified body may be cremated after the prescribed waiting period if identity efforts, including circulation through missing-person networks, are unsuccessful.
Family Concerns
The family alleges police failed to inform them that a body recovered on September 10 could have been Manchanda’s and cremated it on September 14.
Manner of death
Police Account
Police sources claimed Vats shot Manchanda in the neck, but police have not officially disclosed the manner of death; forensic findings are expected from the post-mortem report.
Family Concerns
The family questioned an initial explanation that Manchanda died by drowning, citing the reported depth of one or two feet of water.
Procedural records
Police Account
Police are questioning the accused, reconstructing events, and examining forensic and investigative evidence.
Family Concerns
The family alleges details of the unidentified body were not uploaded to ZIPNET promptly and is seeking records, photographs, DNA samples, and belongings.
- Victim
- Yuvraj Singh Manchanda, 31
- Last known movement
- He left the Golden Dragon restaurant after wedding shopping to meet a former woman colleague in Gurugram.
- Missing-person report
- Filed at Lajpat Nagar police station on September 11.
- Accused
- Former colleague Anya Vats and her husband, Sanyam Sachdeva.
- Alleged disposal site
- A drain near the accused’s residence in Gurugram.
- Police custody
- Both accused were arrested in Uttarakhand and sent to five days of police custody.
- Family’s allegation
- The family says Gurugram Police recovered the body on September 10, cremated it on September 14, and informed them only afterward.
- Evidence requested
- The family is seeking the post-mortem report, investigation records, photographs, DNA samples, and personal belongings.
