A late-night drive home turned fatal for 27-year-old software engineer Yuvraj Mehta after his car plunged into a water-filled pit in Noida’s Sector 150. Despite surviving for over an hour after the crash and repeatedly calling for help, Mehta drowned in the early hours of Saturday, raising serious questions about rescue lapses and official response.
Mehta was returning to his residence at Tata Eureka Park from his Gurugram office late on January 16. As he approached an intersection in Sector 150, his SUV reportedly broke through a damaged boundary wall of a drain and fell into a flooded pit. Police cited dense fog and possible overspeeding as contributing factors.
‘Papa, I am stuck’: desperate calls for help
After the crash, Mehta managed to climb onto the roof of his vehicle and called his father around midnight. “My son himself called me while he was trapped. He said, ‘papa, I am stuck, the car has fallen into the drain,” his father later told Hindustan Times. Eyewitnesses said Mehta pleaded for help, and for nearly 90 minutes, he stood atop the sinking car, screaming for help as the water rose around him.
Rescue efforts fall short
Police and emergency teams reached the spot, but rescue attempts were repeatedly unsuccessful. Officials said ropes fell short, ladders and cranes could not bridge the depth, and fog delayed specialised teams. Assistant commissioner of police Hemant Upadhyay said, “They had dug a large drain, around six to seven feet wide. Due to poor visibility and high speed, the driver appears to have lost control”, adding that parts of the boundary wall were found damaged, but how the car broke through and ended up completely submerged remained unclear.
Delivery agent enters pit, alleges delay
A delivery agent, Moninder, who reached the spot around 1.45 am said, “I tied a rope around my waist and went into the water myself. I searched for the youth and his car for around 30 minutes.” He also said that the victim could have survived if help had arrived just “ten minutes” earlier.
Friends of the deceased alleged, “The rescue teams arrived only by 2.30 am and could not even enter the water till 3.20 am.” Fire officials said operations continued till 5 am, with multiple agencies involved, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).
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FIR, arrests, and SIT probe
Mehta’s father alleged that residents had earlier requested barricades and reflectors near the drain, but no action was taken. An FIR was filed against two construction firms owning the pit under sections related to culpable homicide and negligence. The autopsy confirmed death due to ante-mortem drowning.
A promoter, MZ Wiztown Planner Pvt Ltd promoter Abhay Kumar, linked to one of the firms, was arrested, and a three-member Special Investigation Team has been formed. The special investigation team (SIT) has visited the site, met officials and witnesses, and summoned agencies to explain their roles.
Eyewitness alleges pressure from police
Meanwhile, Moninder alleged he was pressured by police to give statements favouring officials. As per a report by Hindustan Times, he said officers called him, saying senior officials wanted to speak to him about the case. According to Moninder, he was taken to a park near the Knowledge Park police station, where he was reprimanded for speaking to the media.
Moninder told the Hindustan Times that he was “directed to give statements in favour of the police, saying that cops were inside the water and did all possible efforts to rescue Yuvraj Mehta.” “They also verbally gave me a script and recorded a video. As I was scared, I said ‘okay’ and agreed to follow the directions, but I decided that I am the only eyewitness in the case and I will stand with the truth,” Moninder said.
