Was cheating racket run by accused behind Yuvraj’s murder, police probe motive

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More than a week after 31-year-old Yuvraj Singh Manchanda’s body was found dumped in a Gurugram drain, police are probing whether he had learnt about an alleged cheating racket run by the two people accused of killing him and whether that could have led to his murder.Yuvraj was allegedly killed by his former colleague Anya Vats and her partner Sanyam Sachdeva on the evening of September 6. A background check of Anya has revealed three cases against the two – two cheating cases lodged at Parliament Street and Greater Noida, as well as a case filed by Sanyam’s first wife at Shahdara police station, accusing the couple of domestic violence.Police are examining whether Yuvraj had information about any of these cases.“Anya, during initial questioning, has claimed she was being threatened by Yuvraj,” a senior officer said. Police, however, have so far found no evidence to support the claim and are verifying it, the officer added.Yuvraj’s family had earlier alleged that Anya had taken money from him while they worked together.According to sources in the police, the case lodged at Parliament Street police station is being examined closely.A PNB employee, Akhilesh Goyal, has alleged that Anya and Sanyam took Rs 1.25 crore from him after sending him fake notices purportedly from the Enforcement Directorate. The couple allegedly claimed they could use their government connections to resolve the matter.Story continues below this adIn the FIR lodged on August 16 – accessed by The Indian Express – Goyal said he had known Sanyam since 2003 and was introduced to Anya through him in 2021.In September 2024, Goyal allegedly received notices purportedly from the ED alleging that he and his wife were involved in a case against his schoolmate Gopal Mahajan.“I contacted them (Sanyam and Anya). They have strong government and ministry-level connections. When I contacted them, they told me that they could help me in the matter,” Goyal has alleged in the FIR.They allegedly took more than Rs 1.25 crore from him, saying the money was being paid to get his name cleared. But when they demanded more money, Goyal examined the notices and allegedly found them forged.Story continues below this adIn the Greater Noida case, police said that a similar modus operandi was used by Sanyam with his first wife, which led to a dispute over property worth around Rs 4 crore.On September 6, Yuvraj was having lunch with his sisters at a Lajpat Nagar restaurant while shopping for his wedding when he received a call and abruptly left, saying he had an urgent meeting in Gurugram and would return by 10 pm. Police have said the call was from Anya.Police have alleged that Yuvraj met Anya and Sanyam in Gurugram and was shot inside their car. They allegedly kept his body in the vehicle for two days before dumping it in a drain in Badshahpur on September 8. The body was recovered on September 10.Even after his death, his family continued receiving messages from his phone saying he was fine and that he might have to travel to Bengaluru. Police suspect Anya sent the messages.Story continues below this adAfter dumping the body in the drain, police said Anya and Sanyam first travelled to Vrindavan. From there, they travelled to multiple locations before arriving at Kianchi Dham in Uttarakhand, where they stayed in a PG.They were later arrested from KainchiDham after their vehicle was traced. A gun has been recovered from them along with Yuvraj’s car and phone, police have said.Yuvraj, Anya and Sanyam had earlier worked at Emaar. Vats was allegedly fired in 2022 over financial mismanagement, while Yuvraj later left the company and joined Adani Realty as a manager.