Delhi: Sikh man, month before wedding, killed by former colleague; family alleges cremation by cops
PTC News Desk: A 31-year-old Delhi man was allegedly murdered by his former colleague and her partner over a suspected financial dispute. Police found his body dumped in a drain in Gurugram.
The victim, Yuvraj Singh Manchanda, was due to get married next month.
On September 6, Yuvraj went shopping for his wedding sherwani with his sisters at Lajpat Nagar. The family later stopped for food at Golden Dragon restaurant at around 4:15 pm.
After some time, Yuvraj told his sisters that he had to attend an urgent meeting with his former colleague in Gurugram. He left the restaurant, while his sisters returned home by cab.
According to his family, Yuvraj spoke to them around 7 pm and said he would be home by 10 pm. However, he did not return and his phone became unreachable.
On September 8, the family received their last WhatsApp message from him at around 4:16 pm. His phone was switched off again after that.
The family filed a missing person report at Lajpat Nagar police station on September 11.
Family raises question over cremation
Yuvraj’s family alleged that Gurugram Police found his body on September 10 but did not inform them. They also claimed that details about the unidentified body were not uploaded on the Zonal Integrated Police Network (ZIPNET) in time.
The body was eventually cremated by police on September 14, two days before the family was informed about his death.
Under the applicable procedure, an unidentified body can be cremated after the required waiting period if efforts to establish the identity, including publication through missing-person networks, do not lead to identification.
The family has demanded that Yuvraj’s post-mortem report, investigation documents, photographs, DNA samples and personal belongings be preserved and handed over to them.
Yuvraj was the sole earning member of his family. His father is paralysed, while his mother suffers from a heart condition.
Former colleague confesses to killing
During the investigation, police found that Yuvraj’s last phone call was with a woman identified as Vats, a former colleague whom he had gone to meet in Gurugram.
Her phone was switched off, prompting police to examine CCTV footage, technical data and information gathered from the offices of Yuvraj and the woman.
Vats subsequently emerged as a key suspect. Police later traced a new mobile number being used by her and arrested her from Uttarakhand.
Her partner was also arrested in connection with the case.
During questioning, the two accused allegedly told police that they had murdered Yuvraj and dumped his body in a drain near their house in Gurugram.
Police suspect a financial dispute was behind the murder. However, Yuvraj’s family has alleged that the woman is hiding the actual reason for his killing.
Both accused have been sent to five days of police custody. Police are questioning them to establish the motive and determine exactly how the crime was carried out.
- PTC NEWS
