New Delhi, September 18, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A 31-year-old Delhi man, who had left a restaurant after telling his family he had to attend an urgent meeting in Gurugram, was allegedly murdered by his former colleague and her partner over a suspected financial dispute, with his body later dumped in a drain, police said.
The deceased, Yuvraj Singh Manchanda, was reportedly due to get married in October.
According to his family, Manchanda had gone shopping with his sisters at Lajpat Nagar on September 6 for his upcoming wedding. The family later stopped at the Golden Dragon restaurant at around 4.15 p.m. After spending some time there, Manchanda told his sisters that he needed to meet a former colleague in Gurugram and left the restaurant. His sisters subsequently returned home by cab.
The family said Manchanda spoke to them around 7 p.m. and told them he would return by 10 p.m. However, he did not come home and repeated attempts to contact him went unanswered.
At 4.16 p.m. on September 8, the family received what they described as his final WhatsApp message. His phone was switched off shortly afterwards.
After failing to establish contact with him, the family approached Lajpat Nagar police station and filed a missing-person report on September 11.
The family has alleged that Gurugram police recovered Manchanda’s body on September 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 circulate information about unidentified bodies, within the required timeframe.
According to the family, authorities cremated the body on September 14, two days before they were informed about his death.
Under the applicable procedure, an unidentified body may be cremated after the prescribed waiting period if efforts to establish the identity, including circulation through designated missing-person networks, do not yield results.
The family has sought preservation and access to Manchanda’s post-mortem report, investigation documents, photographs, DNA samples and personal belongings.
The family also said Manchanda was the sole earning member of the household. His father is paralysed, while his mother suffers from a heart condition.
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 subsequently switched off.
Investigators examined CCTV footage, technical evidence and information linked to workplaces associated with Manchanda and the suspect. Vats subsequently emerged as a key suspect, following which police traced a new mobile number allegedly being used by her 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 disposed of his body in a drain near their residence in Gurugram.
Police suspect that a financial dispute may have been the motive behind the alleged murder. Manchanda’s family, however, has claimed that Vats has not disclosed the actual reason for the killing.
The accused are being questioned to establish the alleged motive, reconstruct the sequence of events and determine the circumstances surrounding Manchanda’s death.
Both accused have been remanded in police custody for five days as the investigation continues.
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