Noida: Two more arrested in Sector 150 techie’s death case

The two office bearers at Lotus Greens Pvt Ltd were arrested from Greater Noida, said additional commissioner of police, Gautam Budh Nagar, Rajeev Narayan.

Police on Thursday sealed the offices of Lotus Greens Pvt Ltd and MZ Wiztown Planners, named in a case linked to the drowning death of 27-year-old Yuvraj Mehta, and arrested two more people as the investigation picked up pace.

The special investigation team (SIT) formed to probe the circumstances that led to the death visited the accident site as part of its fact-finding exercise on Thursday. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

Ravi Bansal and Sachin Karanwal, office bearers at Lotus Greens Pvt Ltd were arrested from Greater Noida, said additional commissioner of police, Gautam Budh Nagar, Rajeev Narayan.

A first information report (FIR) had been registered against the two real estate developers on Sunday for alleged negligence, including the absence of barricades, reflectors and mandatory safety measures at the site, where Mehra drowned in a water-filled pit in Noida’s Sector 150, with police arresting MZ Wiztown promoter Abhay Kumar on Tuesday. The two companies have denied negligence.

Bansal is a resident of Sector 21D in Faridabad, Haryana, and Karanwal lives in Shalimar Garden, Ghaziabad, police said.

Narayan further said the offices of both companies in Noida were also sealed to “prevent any documents from being moved or tampered with”.

Late on Wednesday, police filed a second FIR against five builders, including Kumar. The charges in the new FIR relate to environmental protection and water pollution prevention.

Reacting to the developments on Thursday, Shrey Sinha, who is representing Kumar, said, “Wiztown and its staff are cooperating with the investigation.”

He shared that, on Wednesday, the Noida police crime branch seized electronic evidence from the Wiztown office, adding, “In Wednesday’s FIR, the cops booked three directors—Abhay Kumar, Manish Kumar, and Anchal Bohra—under the Environment Act, but they did not include Noida Authority officials. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken suo motu cognisance of the issue and made the Noida Authority a party to the case, but they excluded them?”

Sinha also denied that the offices had been sealed and that they had been closed voluntarily by Wiztown.

The Lotus Green spokesperson refused to comment on the developments.

Meanwhile, the special investigation team (SIT) formed to probe the circumstances that led to the death visited the accident site as part of its fact-finding exercise on Thursday. Investigators are examining why rescue operations could not be initiated for nearly two hours after Mehta’s car plunged into the waterlogged pit, said officials.

The three-member panel was formed on Monday and was asked to submit its report to chief minister Yogi Adityanath within five days.

Noida Authority officials said all its departments, including group housing, civil and work circle staff, were working on submitting their replies to the SIT’s queries by Thursday evening. “If they need anything more we will provide it on Friday,” said an official on condition of anonymity.

Among other information, the SIT has sought details on when the Noida Authority received information about the incident, who gave it the information and what its response was, who went to the site, and at what time, the official added. It has also asked for information on why the water had accumulated at the plot, why crucial signages were missing, and why the boundary wall had not been built along the plot.

Since the plot where Mehta died is part of Sports City, the authority has also been directed to provide details on the project, including the possession details of the plots, said officials.

The SIT has also sought clarifications on the status of basic utilities such as roads, road safety infrastructure, water supply, and sewerage. Officials said the team is examining whether these facilities were developed in accordance with approved plans and timelines.

In addition, the SIT has asked what utilities were mandated to be developed at the site and whether any notices were issued to builders for non-compliance with development or safety norms. Queries have also been raised regarding road safety arrangements in the area and the role of the Noida Traffic Cell, particularly in view of recurring waterlogging in the sector, said officials.

Officials have further been asked to explain what action was taken after a truck met with an accident at the same location just days before Mehta’s death. The SIT is examining whether the earlier accident had prompted any corrective or preventive measures and, if not, why no steps were taken.

Mehta, a software engineer, died in the early hours of Saturday after his car plunged into a deep, waterlogged excavation pit on a vacant plot in Sector 150 as he was returning home from his office in Gurugram when he reportedly lost control of his vehicle in dense fog, broke through a low boundary at a sharp 90-degree turn, and fell into the pit.

According to investigators and eyewitness accounts, Mehta managed to climb onto the roof of his partially submerged car and called his father for help. Police, firefighters, and teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) from Ghaziabad and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) reached the site, but rescue efforts failed to save him. For nearly 90 minutes, Mehta remained trapped, calling for help as his vehicle slowly sank. By the time he could be pulled out, he had died.

On Monday, the Uttar Pradesh government removed Noida Authority chief executive officer (CEO) Lokesh M from his post and constituted the SIT. The authority, meanwhile, has initiated a sector-wide safety audit.