A midnight drive turned into a harrowing tragedy in Noida when a 27-year-old software engineer drowned after his SUV crashed through a damaged boundary wall and plunged into a flooded pit at a construction site in Sector 150.
Trapped in thick fog and freezing water, the young man identified as Yuvraj Mehta climbed onto the roof of his sinking vehicle, repeatedly flashing his phone’s torch and screaming for help. While police and family members reached the spot within minutes and could hear his cries, rescue efforts were delayed, and the desperate calls for help eventually fell silent.
What Really Happened?
Yuvraj Mehta, who was employed with customer data science firm Dunnhumby India in Gurugram, was heading home when the accident occurred while he was taking a sharp turn near ATS Le Grandiose.
Poor visibility due to dense fog, coupled with the absence of streetlights and warning or reflective boards at the construction site, prevented him from noticing the danger ahead.
As Yuvraj Mehta lived in the same sector, his father Raj Mehta and police personnel reached the spot within minutes. However, the thick fog made it impossible to see him, even though his cries would be heard/
The first rescue attempt was made by Moninder, a passerby who jumped into the icy water in a desperate bid to save Yuvraj. He said he searched for nearly 30 minutes but was unable to find him. “Yuvraj kept pleading for help,” he recalled.
Why Police Didn’t Rescue Yuvraj Mehta?
Yuvraj’s friend Pankaj Tokas recalled that “He was screaming at the top of his voice for help while standing on the car roof. The cops who initially said they could not swim. Cranes were called, but no one entered the water to save him.”
The first police team on the scene alerted the fire department and disaster response agencies. “Initial rescue efforts were carried out with the help of local divers. Later, teams from the SDRF and NDRF were deployed,” a police officer said.
Sources said the SDRF team arrived first but did not have the necessary equipment to conduct a rescue in the nearly 30-foot-deep pit. The NDRF was then summoned from Ghaziabad, which took about another hour to reach.
By around 1.45 am, the desperate cries for help had gone silent as family members and friends stood helplessly near the pit. Yuvraj’s body was eventually recovered at around 4.30 am, nearly four hours after his car plunged into the water. According to sources, he slowly lost strength and drowned after the vehicle sank, leaving him with nothing to hold on to.
Accident Could Have Been Prevented?
Raj Mehta, a retired SBI director, alleged that the location had been a known danger zone and that multiple warnings issued to the Noida Authority were ignored. Acknowledging the poor visibility due to dense fog, he said the tragedy could have been prevented if the damaged boundary wall had been repaired. “Had the wall not been broken, the vehicle may not have fallen into the drain,” he said.
Local residents echoed his concerns, pointing out that a similar incident had occurred nearly 10 days earlier when a truck rammed into the same drain wall, though the driver narrowly escaped. “Despite that accident, no repair work was carried out. The Vitara crashed through the same broken wall. This tragedy was avoidable,” a resident said.
Manisha Chauhan is a passionate journalist with 3 years of experience in the media industry, covering everything from trending entertainment buzz and celebrity spotlights to thought-provoking book reviews and practical health tips. Known for blending fresh perspectives with reader-friendly writing, she creates content that informs, entertains, and inspires. When she’s not chasing the next viral story, you’ll find her diving into a good book or exploring new wellness trends.
