'I made 200 calls': Pregnant wife waited all night, man found dead in sewer next day; Gurgaon floods kill 2 in 1 night

GURGAON: On the night of July 9, knee-deep in rainwater that had flooded the city and derailed traffic, Shailendra's pregnant wife waited for him outside their house to return.She'd last spoken to him at 8.19pm, when he told her he was dropping off a passenger and would be home soon. Around 9pm, she called again. He didn't answer."I made 200 calls after that. He usually returns by 10pm," 21-year-old Sumanlata, who is expecting another child, said. Hours went by, and Sumanlata approached the couple's landlord Babulal for help. They waited. By 3am, anxiety turned into fear, and Babulal approached police to report Shailendra missing.It was only the next morning, around 7am, when some delivery executives passing by found Shailendra's body inside an open sewer in Sector 47.Trying to navigate the waterlogged street next to Sispal Vihar on Wednesday night, the 27-year-old's autorickshaw ran into the open manhole, where the vehicle overturned and he fell inside. Bystanders took Shailendra to Park Hospital, but it was too late by then.Shailendra, his wife said, came to Gurgaon from his hometown in UP's Kannauj five years ago. Here, he'd settled with his family in Sector 9 and earned a stable income. "I have lost everything in this city. I will have to move back to my hometown. What will I do here alone," Sumanlata said on Friday.Just a few kilometres away, in another part of the city, a 25-year-old graphic designer was electrocuted the same night.Akshat Jain was on his way back home in Sector 49 from a gym when he waded into a flooded road in Ghasola village. Trying to balance his bike, the graphic designer accidentally touched a live wire dangling into the water and died on the spot. A witness, another biker who was behind Jain, said he felt a "strange tingling" on his feet."I was close to the divider. Just as I felt the tingling, the rider in front of me collapsed and started shaking violently. I was barely an arm's distance from him. Instinctively, I moved my bike away. People started gathering, but no one could muster the courage to touch him. Even I froze," the biker said.In both incidents, the families registered complaints for death by negligence.Asked about progress in the investigation, a police officer told TOI that the concerned departments have been issued show-cause notices. "Further probe is underway," he added.