'Murder By Negligence': Sub-Contractor, Guard And Worker Failed to Alert Authorities Despite Noticing Youth in 'Killer Pit'

New Delhi: In a shocking revelation, the Delhi Police on Sunday said that multiple people were aware, including a subcontractor of the site, that a motorcyclist had fallen into an open pit in Janakpuri on Thursday night, but none informed the authorities, leading to the death of the 25-year-old victim.

Eyewitness alerted guard, chain of inaction followed

As per police, an eyewitness named Vipin Singh saw the motorcycle fall into the pit while returning from a marriage function and alerted the guard present at the site, who then passed the information to a construction worker.

‘During the investigation, we found an eyewitness named Vipin Singh, who had seen a motorcycle fall into the pothole... He informed the guard, who then told the contractor’s worker, Yogesh,’ DCP confirmed.

 Further, he revealed that the worker named Yogesh went to the spot and saw the victim and the motorcycle headlights on and immediately informed his superior, Rajesh. However, despite knowing that someone had fallen into the pit, no one informed authorities.

‘Yogesh saw the victims and the motorcycle's headlight still on. He then informed his boss, Rajesh Prajapati, at 12:22 am. These people knew that someone had fallen into the pothole, but they didn't tell anyone,’ he added. 

Subcontractor Arrested, manhunt launched for absconding worker

The Delhi Police have arrested Rajesh Prajapati, a sub-contractor associated with the Delhi Jal Board, in connection with the case.

He added that Yogesh, the construction worker who first saw the victim, has fled the scene.

“The worker Yogesh has fled the scene; we have deployed teams to catch him,” Bhaskar said.

Police also confirmed that the postmortem report is awaited and will be received this evening.

FIR cites gross negligence at site

Earlier, the FIR revealed that the pit had been left open in the middle of a public road without any safety arrangements.

It stated that no warning signs, reflectors, barricades, or proper lighting were installed at the site and that no security guard had been officially deployed.

The FIR further noted that it was “well within the knowledge of Delhi Jal Board and its contractor that leaving an open pit on a public road without safety measures could result in a person falling and losing his life.”

Police said further action will be taken as the investigation progresses. 

‘Killer Pit’ Claims Life In Delhi

A young man died after falling into an open pit along with his motorcycle in Delhi’s Janakpuri area late on Thursday night, allegedly due to civic negligence. The pit reportedly falls under the purview of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).

The deceased has been identified as 25-year-old Kamal, a resident of Kailashpuri. According to initial information, Kamal was returning home from his office, the HDFC Bank call centre in Rohini, Sector 10, late at night when the incident occurred.

Family members said Kamal was in constant contact with them while travelling back home. However, when he failed to return till late at night and his phone became unreachable, the family began searching for him.

The family alleged that they visited multiple police stations through the night, including Janakpuri, Sagarpur, Vikaspuri and Rohini, but claim their concerns were not taken seriously. “After searching the entire night, we finally received a call from the police around 7.30 am,” a friend of the victim said, adding, “When we reached the spot, Kamal was found inside a manhole along with his motorcycle.” 

Speaking to Republic after the tragedy, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) CEO, Kushal Raj Sharma, said corrective measures are being taken to ensure public safety, and strict legal action will be taken against anyone found responsible.

The Delhi Jal Board CEO also said that a committee has been formed to investigate further and to find if any official was responsible for the tragedy, and the reports will be revealed subsequently.  This comes a few weeks after Noida techie Yuvraj Mehta died when his speeding car crashed into a flooded basement in Noida's Sector-150.

ALSO READ: 'No Warning Signs, Barricades or Lighting at Site': FIR Reveals After ‘Killer Pit’ Claims 25-Year-Old Man Life in Delhi's Janakpuri