Asphyxiation, heart failure: Autopsy details Noida techie Yuvraj Mehta’s desperate fight before drowning in pit

NOIDA: The post-mortem report of 27-year-old software engineer Yuvraj Mehta, who drowned after his SUV fell into a water-filled pit in Sector 150, Greater Noida, has revealed that he died due to asphyxiation and cardiac failure.

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Trapped in the deep, icy water on a fog-choked night, Mehta struggled to survive for nearly 90 minutes. He managed to climb onto the roof of his sinking vehicle, repeatedly flashed his mobile phone’s torch, and called his father while desperately trying to draw attention.




An FIR has been registered against the builders responsible for the open pit, citing serious negligence, including the absence of barricading, reflectors and fencing. Show-cause notices have also been issued to officials and employees responsible for traffic management in and around Sector 150.

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The accident occurred around 12.30am on January 16–17, when Mehta, a Sector 150 resident, was driving home through dense fog and poor lighting. Near ATS Le Grandiose, his Grand Vitara crashed through a damaged boundary wall and plunged into a pit nearly 30 feet deep.

Despite immediate coordination between the police, fire brigade, SDRF and NDRF, rescue efforts were severely hampered by near-zero visibility, the depth of the water and inadequate equipment.

A delivery worker who reached the spot jumped into the freezing water in a desperate attempt to save Mehta but could not locate him. By the time his body was recovered around 4.30am, Mehta had been in the water for over an hour and a half.

Residents and friends have alleged administrative lapses and delayed response, while authorities have terminated a junior engineer, issued show-cause notices to others, and ordered inspections of construction-site safety measures.