‘Total hotchpotch on part of Gurugram cops’: Court on Manchanda's murder

The judge noted that Manchanda’s body had been cremated and the Gurugram police did not videograph the post-mortem examination.

A Delhi court on Thursday said the Gurugram police had “botched” the investigation into the death of real estate sales professional Yuvraj Singh Manchanda, who went missing on September 6, observing that the post-mortem report did not mention any bullet injuries allegedly sustained by him.

The accused allegedly drove around Gurugram for two days with Manchanda’s body before dumping it in a sewer on September 8, police said. (HT Photo)

“There has been a botch up by the [Gurugram] police. Their post mortem report says that the death was caused due to asphyxia but does not mention any bullet injuries on the deceased’s neck. It is a complete hotchpotch on their part,” said judicial magistrate first class Rahul Jain of Saket courts.

The court was hearing a plea while hearing a plea moved by Manchanda’s sister, Dr Harsimran Manchanda, through senior advocate Amit Prasad, seeking preservation and production of records and digital material related to his death.

The judge also noted that Manchanda’s body had already been cremated and that the Gurugram police had not videographed the post-mortem examination.

Court questions missing bullet injuries in post-mortem

When the court asked how it would be established that Manchanda had been shot by the accused, the investigating officer said, “We have collected the weapon used in the offence and recovered traces of blood which has matched with Manchanda’s blood. However, another medical opinion has been sought by a board of doctors at AIIMS to confirm the blood samples.”

The matter will next be heard on Saturday, when the court has directed the investigating officer and the SHO of Badshahpur police station to be present in person and asked Manchanda’s counsel to assist the court in pointing to the alleged lapse in Guguram police’s investigation.

Court summons investigating officer, SHO

According to Delhi Police, Manchanda was last seen by his two sisters on September 6 when he left them in Lajpat Nagar to shop. He told them that he was headed to Gurugram for a meeting.

Police alleged that Manchanda was killed the same night by his former colleague Anya Vats and her partner Sanyam Sachdeva. According to police, after the murder, the duo drove around Gurugram for two days with his body in Vats’s Creta before dumping it in a sewer on September 8. His body was recovered by Gurugram Police on September 10.

Delhi Police said Manchanda’s family in Sarita Vihar did not approach the police until September 11 because the accused allegedly took his phone and continued messaging his family for two days, giving the impression that he was alive.

Two accused arrested in Uttarakhand

Vats and Sachdeva were traced to Kaichi Dham in Uttarakhand and arrested on September 16. During interrogation, they allegedly disclosed that Manchanda had been shot dead and his body had been dumped in Gurugram, following which Delhi Police contacted the Gurugram authorities, who shared details of the case.

A major concern raised by Manchanda’s family in the plea was that the Badshahpur police allegedly cremated his body on September 14 as that of an unidentified person, despite the Lajpat Nagar FIR having been registered three days earlier.

The plea further alleged that details and photographs of the body were not uploaded on the ZIPNET portal between September 10, when it was recovered, and September 14, when it was cremated. According to the plea, the material was uploaded only on September 16.

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