Yuvraj Mehta (27), who worked in Gurugram, was returning to his home in Noida Sector 150 when his car fell into a deep, water-filled pit near an under-construction site on the night of January 16. He died after frantically pleading for help for around two hours on January 17.
The local police said the post-mortem report of the deceased revealed there was water in his lungs, and his death was caused by cardiac arrest. His body was recovered from the pit after a search operation that lasted hours.
A few days earlier, a truck had also crashed at the same location, though the driver survived, according to locals who alleged negligence by local authorities in failing to install barricades and warning signage at the spot.
Gurvinder Singh, the truck driver injured in the earlier incident, said the accident occurred on the night of January 2 amid dense fog and he remained trapped at the site for nearly four hours before being rescued.
According to locals, the uncovered pit — fed by rainwater and drains and lying just off a well-developed road with no barricades and an almost 90-degree turn — had become a serious hazard long before the crash that claimed Mehta’s life.
Police reject negligence allegation
However, Noida police rejected allegations of negligence. Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Rajeev Narayan Mishra said police and fire department teams made efforts to save the youth and deployed a crane, ladder, makeshift boat and searchlights, but visibility was near zero due to fog.
According to the Knowledge Park police station, information was received around 12.15 a.m. that a car had fallen into a pit dug for the basement of an under-construction building near Sector 150.
After an over five-hour search operation, the body was recovered later on Saturday (January 17, 2026) morning with the help of teams from the fire department, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the local police.
U.P. Govt orders SIT probe
Two days after Mehta’s death, the Uttar Pradesh Government removed the Noida Authority Chief Executive Officer and ordered SIT probe into the incident. The three-member SIT comprises ADG Bhanu Bhaskar, Meerut Divisional Commissioner Bhanu Chandra Goswami and Public Works Department Chief Engineer Ajay Verma.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed the SIT to investigate the circumstances leading to the fatal accident and submit a report within five days.
“We need to examine the civic authority, police and emergency authority and will give our opinion within five days. After follow-up meetings, we will submit our opinion to the government,” Mr. Bhaskar said.
Accident site
According to Noida Authority officials, the accident site is Plot A-3, carved out after the subdivision of Sports City Plot No. 2 by the lead developer, Lotus Green. The 27,185-square-metre plot, designated for commercial use, was subsequently taken over by MZ Wiztown Planners in 2021.
A commercial building plan was initially sanctioned. However, approval for a revised, mall-like structure was later sought by MZ Wiztown.
The authority rejected the proposal in May 2022, saying that only shops related to sports activities and food and beverage outlets were permissible under the approved layout, according to official documents.
After the rejection, construction at the site was halted. Despite the plot’s prime corner location, with wide roads on two sides, the excavated basement was left open and unbarricaded.
Real estate developer arrested
Police arrested the director of a real estate firm even as a Special Investigation Team (SIT) visited the site as it began its probe into the incident.
“Abhay Kumar, the director of MZ Wiztown Planners and one of the accused in the case, has been arrested from Sector 150,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Greater Noida) Hemant Upadhyay said.
Police had filed an FIR on culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other charges against two real estate developers — MZ Wiztown Planners and Lotus Greens — on a complaint by victim Yuvraj Mehta’s father, Raj Kumar Mehta, who alleged negligence by local authorities and sought accountability.
There was no official word on the action against the other accused firm.
India’s urban collapse due to lack of accountability, says Rahul Gandhi
Raising the issue of the techie’s death, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said India’s urban collapse is not about lack of money, technology, or solutions but about the lack of accountability.
In a post on X, Gandhi said, “Roads kill, bridges kill, fires kill, water kills, pollution kills, corruption kills, indifference kills.” “India’s urban collapse isn’t about lack of money, technology, or solutions. It’s about lack of accountability.TINA m: There Is No Accountability,” the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said.
(Inputs from PTI)
Published – January 21, 2026 02:47 pm IST
