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Faint flashlight in dense fog: Video shows Noida techie's struggle for help
The clip has emerged amid ongoing investigations into the incident that claimed the Noida techie Yuvraj Mehta’s life on the night of January 16.
A newly surfaced video appears to show the last moments of 27-year-old Yuvraj Mehta, the Noida techie who drowned after his car plunged into a water-filled pit last Saturday.
The footage, widely circulating on social media and reported by news channels, shows rescue teams at work, with the dim glow of Mehta’s phone torch visible on the water's surface through thick fog. Voices from the rescuers can be heard telling him to remain calm.
HT has not independently verified the video.
It also showed the rescue teams struggling to enter the water pit in low visibility despite multiple attempts.
The clip has emerged amid ongoing investigations into the incident that claimed the Noida techie’s life on the night of January 16.
Noida techie’s death: A tragedy, and civic failure
Software engineer Yuvraj Mehta was employed in Gurugram and lived in Noida. On Saturday, he was driving home when his vehicle fell into a deep excavation near a construction site in Greater Noida’s Sector 150.
He clung to the car and waited for assistance for almost two hours while police, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) attempted a rescue in the foggy conditions.
Yuvraj’s father, Raj Kumar Mehta, was also present at the scene. Police recovered Mehta's car from the site on Tuesday evening, three days after the accident. Forensic teams collected samples from the location and measured the road and the drain on Wednesday. Officials also examined the pit, which now looks like a pond after being filled with water over time.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been set up by the Uttar Pradesh government to probe the case.
Two FIRs filed
The first FIR in the case was filed on January 18, based on a complaint from Mehta's father against MZ Wiztown Planners and Lotus Greens. It cited negligence, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and endangering life.
Another FIR has been registered against five individuals linked to the two companies. They have been identified as Abhay Kumar, Sanjay Kumar, Manish Kumar, Anchal Bohra, and Nirmal Kumar.
The case involves alleged breaches of environmental and pollution regulations tied to the waterlogged pit in Sector 150 that caused Mehta's death.
The complaint was filed by a police officer and described a patrol on January 20 that uncovered a large and wide pit at plot SC-02/A3 in Sector 150, near a public road. The excavation, apparently dug with heavy equipment, has held water for years. It is deep, with stagnant water becoming muddy and polluted. Rain has washed garbage into it, worsening air quality and creating health hazards.
Investigations revealed that the plot was purchased from the Noida Authority in 2014 by Lotus Greens Construction Pvt Ltd, and transferred in 2020 to MZ Wiztown Planners Pvt Ltd. Lotus Greens retains a stake in the property. Police detained Abhay Kumar, director of MZ Wiztown Planners, on Tuesday. Two more builders were arrested on Thursday in connection with the case.
"The arrested accused have been identified as Ravi Bansal, a resident of Faridabad, and Sachin Karnwal, a resident of Ghaziabad," a police official told PTI.
The official said both arrested persons are associated with real estate developer Lotus Greens, although their exact designations within the company could not be confirmed immediately.
