NOIDA: An FIR was registered against two builders who own the water-filled pit in Sector 150 where a 27-year-old software engineer drowned after his SUV broke through a damaged boundary wall and plunged into it around Friday midnight.
Police said the plot was not properly secured with a boundary wall, fencing or reflectors, turning it into a deadly hazard in dense fog.
ACP Hemant Upadhyay said the case was registered with Knowledge Park police on a complaint by the father of Yuvraj Mehta, the software engineer who drowned. A case under sections 105 (culpable homicide), 106 (causing death by negligence) and 125 (act endangering life) of BNS was registered against MZ Wishtown Planners Pvt Ltd and Lotus Greens Construction Pvt Ltd.
There was no barricading reflector around the plot, which caused the incident. There was serious negligence on the part of the builders," the FIR said.
The accident occurred around 12.30am as Mehta, a Sector 150 resident, was returning home and negotiating a sharp turn near ATS Le Grandiose. In thick fog and poor lighting, his Grand Vitara crashed past the damaged wall and fell into the pit, which had around 30 feet of water. Mehta, who did not know how to swim, managed to get out of the vehicle and climb onto its roof, repeatedly flashing his phone's torch through the fog to be seen.
He also called his father, Raj Mehta, and shared his WhatsApp location. Raj Mehta - a retired SBI director - reached the spot within minutes and dialled 112. In the fog, those at the edge of the pit could hear Mehta's cries but struggled to locate him. A senior official involved in the rescue said the search was almost blind. "We could only see a thin ray of light, likely from his phone," he added. Another official said the teams "could not see even 10 metres" due to fog. Police first tried to reach him by throwing a rope while SDRF and NDRF teams were on the way, but it did not reach close enough. Firefighters then attempted to extend help using a crane, which also fell short. Ladders followed, but distance remained too long.
Additional Commissioner of Police Rajeev Narayan Mishra said police coordinated with emergency services immediately. "As soon as information about the incident was received, the local police coordinated with the fire brigade and ensured that all necessary equipment was arranged. At that time, visibility was almost zero," he said.
Moninder, an online delivery worker who was passing by and jumped into the freezing water around 1.45am after hearing Mehta's cries, accused the administration of a delayed response. "Yuvraj kept pleading for help. The administration is responsible for his death," he alleged, adding that he spent nearly 30 minutes in the water searching but could not locate him.
Mehta's friend Pankaj Tokas alleged, "He was screaming at the top of his voice for help while standing on the car's roof. The cops who went initially said they could not swim. Cranes were called but no one entered the water to save him."
Police said the depth of the water and cold and foggy conditions hit rescue efforts. "We made all efforts to rescue him. But due to the depth of the water collected in the plot, it was difficult to save him in the darkness and dense fog," an officer said.
Sources said the SDRF team reached first but lacked equipment for the deep pit. NDRF was then called from Ghaziabad, which took additional time due to fog.
Mehta's cries fell silent by around 1.45am - an hour and and a half after he fell into the pit. By the time his body was recovered, it was 4.30am.
Residents said the pit had been excavated nearly two years ago for a mall project and left uncovered, with sewage discharged from nearby societies accumulating there because of restrictions on releasing water into the Hindon.
A spokesperson for Lotus Greens claimed that the plot had been transferred to Grihapravesh Group with Noida Authority's approval in 2019-20.
Noida Authority CEO Lokesh M has issued showcause notices to officials responsible for traffic-related work in Sector 150 and terminated the services of junior engineer Naveen Kumar. He has also asked departments concerned to inspect safety measures at construction sites and submit reports.
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