The murder of a 31-year-old HR professional in Delhi has taken a disturbing turn after investigators found that his family continued receiving WhatsApp messages from his phone for two days after his alleged death.
Yuvraj Singh Manchanda, who worked as an HR professional with a real estate company, was allegedly killed on September 6 by a former colleague, Anya Vats, and her partner, Sanyam Sachdeva, according to police. The accused were arrested in Uttarakhand on September 16.
What initially appeared to be regular messages from Yuvraj’s phone later became a crucial part of the investigation. Until September 8, his sister, parents, fiancée and a friend reportedly received WhatsApp messages suggesting that he was busy with work and would return home later.
Among the messages were claims that he was stuck in a business deal, travelling to Bengaluru and would return on Saturday. His family also received a photograph of what appeared to be a flight ticket from Noida to Bengaluru.
Yuvraj’s sister Karishma said she had last seen him on September 6 when they went to Lajpat Nagar to buy a sherwani. He was due to get married the following month. Later that day, he told his family that he had to go to Gurugram for work but did not return home.
The messages received the following day initially gave the family some reassurance. However, his behaviour appeared unusual to them. The messages continued until the morning of September 8, after which his phone was switched off.
The family became increasingly worried and began searching for him. On September 10, they approached the police after being unable to contact him.
Around the same time, a major development had already taken place in Gurugram. A body had been recovered from a sewer in Sector 70 on September 10. Four days later, the body was cremated as that of an unidentified man after an autopsy, while Yuvraj’s family was still looking for him.
Yuvraj’s family formally filed a missing-person complaint at the Lajpat Nagar police station on September 11.
Investigators later focused on his former colleague Anya Vats. Police said Yuvraj had last spoken to Vats before disappearing and that her phone was also switched off.
According to investigators, both Yuvraj and Vats had previously worked for the same major real estate group. They were removed from the company in 2022 over alleged financial irregularities. Yuvraj later joined another real estate company as an HR manager, while Vats did not secure a similar position, police said.
During surveillance, investigators reportedly detected a new mobile number being used by Vats. Further analysis indicated that she was in Uttarakhand. A Delhi Police team was subsequently sent there, where Vats and Sachdeva were apprehended.
Police said questioning the two led to the allegation that Yuvraj was shot dead following a heated argument. Investigators said the accused then fled to Uttarakhand.
The messages sent from Yuvraj’s phone between September 6 and 8 are now an important part of the investigation as police work to establish the exact sequence of events following his disappearance.
The case also raises questions about how long the family was kept unaware of his alleged death and how the messages were sent from his phone after the incident. The investigation is continuing.
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