NEW DELHI: A 31-year-old Delhi man, who left a restaurant after telling his family that he had an urgent meeting in Gurugram, was allegedly killed by his former colleague and her partner over a suspected financial dispute, police said.
His body was later dumped in a drain in Gurugram.
According to the IANS report, the deceased, Yuvraj Singh Manchanda, was reportedly scheduled to get married in October.
Manchanda went missing after leaving restaurant
On Sept 6, Manchanda went shopping with his sisters at Lajpat Nagar market for his wedding. The family later stopped at the Golden Dragon restaurant at around 4.15pm.
After spending some time there, Manchanda told his sisters that he had to meet his former colleague in Gurugram and left the restaurant. His sisters later returned home by cab.
According to his family, Manchanda spoke to them over the phone around 7pm and said he would return home by 10pm.
However, he did not come back and repeated calls from his family went unanswered.
At 4.16pm on Sept 8, the family received what they described as Manchanda’s last WhatsApp message. His phone was switched off shortly afterwards.
After failing to contact him, the family approached Lajpat Nagar police station and filed a missing-person report on Sept 11.
The family has alleged that Gurugram police had recovered Manchanda’s body on Sept 10 but did not inform them.
They also claimed that details of the unidentified body were not uploaded on the Zonal Integrated Police Network (ZIPNET), a government platform used to share information about unidentified bodies, within the required timeframe.
According to the family, the body was cremated by authorities on Sept 14, two days before they were informed about his death.
Under the applicable procedure, an unidentified body can be cremated after the prescribed waiting period if efforts to establish the person’s identity, including circulation through designated missing-person networks, do not succeed.
Manchanda’s family has sought access to and preservation of his post-mortem report, investigation records, photographs, DNA samples and personal belongings.
The family said Manchanda was the sole earning member of the household. His father is paralysed, while his mother has a heart condition.
Former colleague, partner arrested
During the investigation, police found that Manchanda’s last known phone conversation was with Vats, his former colleague whom he had gone to meet in Gurugram. Her phone was later switched off.
Investigators examined CCTV footage, technical evidence and information from workplaces linked to Manchanda and the suspect. Vats subsequently emerged as a key suspect.
Police later traced a new mobile number allegedly being used by Vats and arrested her in Uttarakhand. Her partner was also arrested in connection with the case.
During interrogation, the two accused allegedly told police that they had killed Manchanda and dumped his body in a drain near their residence in Gurugram.
Police suspect that a financial dispute may have led to the alleged murder. However, Manchanda’s family has claimed that Vats has not revealed the actual reason behind the killing.
The accused are being questioned to establish the motive, reconstruct the sequence of events and determine the circumstances surrounding the alleged murder.
Both accused have been sent to five days of police custody as the investigation continues. - The Statesman/ANN
