Noida techie death: Eyewitness alleges pressure from cops, says they gave him script

Eyewitness and delivery agent Moninder Singh said he was called to the police station and directed to disappear for five to ten days.

A 26-year-old delivery executive — a key eyewitness to techie Yuvraj Mehta’s death apart from his father — alleged that police officers pressured him to stay away from the media for 10 days.

Evewitness Moninder Singh also alleged, “The cops said the case would disappear from the media in two to three days, but you live here.” (HT Photo)

“I was called to the police station and they forcefully recorded another video of me after giving me a script,” Moninder Singh told HT on Tuesday, adding, “I was forced to sit in a park close to the police station for more than four-and-a-half hours.”

Twenty-seven-year-old software engineer Yuvraj Mehta drowned after his car plunged into a water-filled excavation pit on a vacant plot in Sector 150 of Greater Noida, triggering widespread outrage over civic lapses and the delay in rescue efforts. The pit, allegedly dug for a building’s basement, was estimated to be over 20 feet deep, with some assessments placing it at nearly 50 feet. It was filled with rainwater and lacked barricades, warning signs, or reflective markers, officials and residents said.

Singh, who became the focus of media attention after a short video he shot showing an alleged rescue failure went viral, said he was called to the police station and directed to disappear for five to ten days.

“I was called by the police saying that senior officers wanted to talk to me regarding the case. When I went there, three to four officers took me to a nearby park close to Knowledge Park police station and scolded me for speaking to the media,” Singh said. He added, “I 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. My family and locals are supporting me,” Singh said.

He further alleged, “The cops said the case would disappear from the media in two to three days, but you live here.”

Singh, a resident of Noida’s Sector 150, said he was on his way to deliver an order around 1.50 am on Saturday when he saw police engaged in rescuing Mehta, who had allegedly driven into a water-filled basement of a vacant under-construction plot in the same sector.

About five minutes before Singh reached the spot, Mehta drowned along with his submerged car. Singh said he jumped into the water wearing a life jacket but failed to locate Mehta despite 30 minutes of effort.

A senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “The police did not threaten him, but if such allegations arise, they will be taken into consideration and verified.”