The family of 31-year-old Yuvraj Singh Manchanda, who was allegedly murdered in Gurugram earlier this month, has raised serious questions over the handling of his body and personal belongings by the police.
Manchanda, an executive working with a realty firm, was allegedly killed on September 6. His body was later recovered from a sewer in Gurugram on September 10. According to his family, the body was subsequently cremated by the Gurugram Police as unidentified, without the family being informed.
The case came to wider attention after Delhi Police arrested two suspects, Anya Vats and her partner Sanyam Sachdeva, from Uttarakhand on September 16, around 10 days after the alleged murder.
According to Delhi Police, the suspects allegedly used Manchanda’s phone to send messages to his family after his death, making them believe that he was still alive. A senior police official said the accused allegedly kept his body inside a car for two days before dumping it in a sewer in Gurugram on September 8 and then fleeing to Uttarakhand.
Manchanda’s sister, Karishma, has alleged that the family was not informed even after the body had been recovered. She said the family later learned that Gurugram Police had been in possession of the body since September 10.
She also questioned why details of the unidentified body were allegedly not uploaded to ZIPNET, an online police database used by several states and Union territories to share information about missing persons and unidentified or recovered bodies.
According to the family, the body was cremated four days after it was recovered. Karishma said she travelled to Gurugram after learning about the matter and tried to collect her brother’s ashes. She alleged that after waiting at a police station for several hours, she was told that the ashes had already been discarded.
The family has also raised concerns about Manchanda’s clothes and other personal belongings. His sister said she was told that the clothes were in poor condition and had been given away. She questioned why such items were not preserved, particularly in a murder investigation.
Manchanda was reportedly preparing for his wedding in October. His sister said the last time she saw him was when they went together to Lajpat Nagar to buy a sherwani. He later left for Gurugram for what the family understood to be a work-related meeting.
When he failed to return home, relatives repeatedly called his phone. Messages were subsequently sent from the device, allegedly by the accused, saying that Manchanda was busy with an important deal and would return soon. The messages reportedly continued until September 8, after which the phone was switched off.
The allegations made by Manchanda’s family raise questions about the identification and preservation of evidence in the case. The circumstances surrounding the handling of the body, ashes and belongings would need to be established through the relevant police records and investigation.
The arrests of the two accused have moved the murder investigation forward, but several questions concerning the period between the recovery of the body and its identification remain important for the family.
As the investigation continues, Manchanda’s relatives are seeking answers about what happened to his remains and personal belongings and why they were not informed earlier. The case is now being examined by Delhi Police, while questions have also been raised over the actions of the Gurugram Police.
Reader Comments 0