Greater Noida: FIR Filed Against Builder After Techie Drowns In Flooded Construction Pit

Greater Noida: Following the tragic drowning of 27-year-old software engineer Yuvraj Mehta in Noida’s Sector 150, Knowledge Park Police have filed an FIR for criminal negligence against the developers of MZ Vistown and Lotus Green. 

The accident occurred at midnight on Saturday when Mehta’s SUV plunged into a water-filled basement at a construction site during conditions of near-zero visibility caused by dense fog.

The Incident

Yuvraj, a Gurugram-based techie, was returning to his home at Tata Eureka Park when his Grand Vitara skidded off the road, broke through a damaged boundary wall, and fell into a 30-foot-deep pit dug for a commercial basement.

In a heartbreaking final phone call to his father, Rajkumar Mehta, Yuvraj pleaded, stating, "Papa, I am stuck. The car has fallen into the drain... please save me, I don't want to die."

Despite being an athletic young man, Yuvraj did not know how to swim. He managed to climb onto the roof of his partially submerged car and used his phone’s torch to signal for help.

Allegations of Rescue Failure

Witnesses and family members have levelled serious allegations of "inaction" against the responding authorities. 

According to eyewitnesses, including a delivery agent named Moninder, police and fire department personnel arrived early at the spot but refused to enter the water, citing the freezing temperatures and the hazard of submerged construction pillars
 . Eventually, Moninder himself jumped into the water to save Yuvraj.

"He was screaming for help for nearly two hours while the authorities watched from the edge," alleged a family friend. It was only after the NDRF arrived from Ghaziabad hours later that his body was recovered from the 30-foot-deep water.

Police Action 

The Knowledge Park Police Station has confirmed that they have issued notices to the owners of MZ Vistown and Lotus Green. The investigation will focus on the failure to repair the broken boundary wall that allowed the car to plunge into the site, the absence of safety signage or boards required for under-construction sites in high-fog zones.

Police have assured the Mehta family that an investigation will be conducted based on their complaint. The developers now face potential charges under sections related to causing death by negligence. 

Residents have since staged protests, demanding that the Noida Authority also be held accountable for ignoring repeated warnings about the hazardous stretch of road.