Delhi man goes to meet ex-colleague in Gurugram, found dead in drain 4 days later

A 31-year-old Delhi man, who went missing after meeting a former colleague in Gurugram, was allegedly murdered with his body found dumped in a drain, police said on Thursday. The accused are the former colleague and her partner, with investigators saying that they drove around for nearly seven hours with the deceased's body inside their car trying to find the correct place to dump it, The Times of India reported.According to police, Yuvraj Singh Manchanda, was an HR professional and a resident of Sarita Vihar in south Delhi. He worked for a real estate developer, The Times of India reported. He was last seen on September 6 when he went out shopping with his sister in Lajpat Nagar's Central Market before visiting Golden Dragon Restaurant.At around 4 pm, he left the restaurant, telling his family that he had a meeting in Gurugram with his former colleague Anya Vats and would return home by around 10 pm. When he failed to return and his mobile phone was found switched off, his family began to worry and tried to trace him.On September 11, his sister approached the police and filed a missing-person complaint. An FIR was subsequently registered under Section 140 (3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). During the investigation, police analysed call detail records (CDRs), internet protocol detail records (IPDRs), CCTV footage and other technical evidence. The probe revealed that Singh's last conversation was with Vats.When both Singh's and Vats's phones were switched off, police expanded the investigation to include CCTV footage, local enquiries and checks at the offices of the deceased and the suspect. This led to the discovery of a new mobile number, which Vats was using, and it was traced to Uttarakhand. A police team went to the hill state where Vats and her partner, Sanyam Sachdeva, were caught.During interrogation, the couple told police that they were married and had a one-year-old son, The Times of India reported. Police said that Singh and Vats had worked together for another real estate developer in 2022, but she was later sacked from the company due to financial irregularities, The Times of India report added. Furthermore, both Vats and Sachdeva are reportedly unemployed currently.Vats told police during the investigation that she called Singh and invited him to Gurugram. Then, an argument broke out inside Singh's car, following which he was allegedly murdered. She claimed that she shot Singh dead, and with the help of her partner, disposed of the body.During the investigation, police also learnt that Badshahpur police station in Gurugram had recovered an unidentified body from a drain on September 10. Later, photos of the unidentified person were shown to Yuvraj Manchanda's family, who identified the body as his.Anya Vats and Sanyam Sachdeva have been sent to five days of police custody. Police are now working to establish the complete sequence of events, identify and examine relevant locations, and collect further technical and forensic evidence. The motive behind the alleged murder and the precise sequence of events leading to Yuvraj's death are also being investigated.- EndsPublished On: Sep 18, 2026 12:10 IST