Delhi realtor Manchanda may have uncovered accused's ‘extortion racket’ before murder, police suspect

Investigators are also probing financial and business disputes as possible motives in the September 6 killing of Manchanda.

The probe into the murder of 31-year-old real estate sales manager Yuvraj Singh Manchanda revealed that the victim may have gone to Gurugram to confront the accused, his former colleague Anya Vats and her partner Sanyam Sachdeva, over an alleged cheating racket involving friends or clients, police officers aware of the matter said.

Yuvraj Singh Manchanda was allegedly killed on September 6, with his body recovered from a Gurugram plot later. (HT)

Police said that the accused posed as government officials and sent fake notices bearing letterheads of central agencies to extort them, and that they called Manchanda on the pretext of a client meeting and allegedly murdered him, suspecting that he may have unearthed their racket. Two senior police officers on Saturday said they were exploring this angle along with possibilities of a financial or business-related dispute.

Motive remains unclear, officers say

One of the senior police officers, who did not wish to be named, said, “We are still not sure about the exact motive. Vats keeps changing her statement and is lying. She has also told us that she was under threat because of Manchanda and later she said there was a financial dispute between them over ₹30 lakh. None of this has been substantiated. We also have strong suspicion that Manchanda came to know about all their scams and was going to confront them but was killed.”

The Delhi Police said the victim’s family, based in Sarita Vihar, had not approached them until September 11 since the accused took Manchanda’s phone and continued to message the family for two days. On September 16, both Vats and Sachdeva were traced to Kaichi Dham in Uttarakhand, from where they were arrested.

Police are probing an alleged cheating racket, a ₹30 lakh financial dispute and other possible motives behind Manchanda’s murder.

Earlier FIR details alleged fake ED notice

Police on Saturday said that Vats was found to be involved in three criminal cases between 2024 and 2026, excluding the alleged murder, lodged at Parliament Street police station, Shahdara police station and another in Greater Noida. Police clarified that she was not arrested in any of the cases. HT accessed one of the FIRs, lodged at the Parliament Street station, which was based on a complaint of an official from a capital market company in Lutyens’ Delhi.

“I have known Sachdeva since 2003 as we were once schoolmates…On September 3, 2024, I received a message from an unknown number…containing an ED (Enforcement Directorate) notice directing me and my wife to appear before ED in connection with a case…I was in extreme shock and became stressful and anxious…Both Sachdeva and Vats together told me that they have strong government and ministry level connections and when I contacted them, they told me they could help me,” the FIR read.

The complainant had alleged that Vats claimed her uncle to be a retired chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and her local guardian was a joint secretary of the organisation. “Over time, they both built pressure and fear, saying serious cases like PMLA, NDPS and UAPA were also registered against me... Between October 2024 and August 2025, I was forced into…transferring ₹1.25 crores. They sent me forged letters,” the FIR read.

The FIR also mentioned that Vats allegedly told the victim she paid ₹13 crore on his behalf and he owed her ₹26 crore in total.

Ex-wife’s complaint under investigation

Investigators said the Shahdara case and Greater Noida case were lodged on the complaint of Sachdeva’s ex-wife, who also accused the couple of cheating her using a similar modus operandi and also domestic abuse.

A second senior police officer said they have found that the duo, after dumping Manchanda’s body on September 8, first fled to Uttar Pradesh.

“We have traced their movements. They were at different locations in Uttar Pradesh and stayed in Vrindavan before heading to Kaichi Dham. When we arrested Vats and Sachdeva from a lodge, we also seized the weapon. We have found it is not licensed. It has been sent to FSL to check if it was used during murder,” the officer said.