'Don't want to die': Excruciating final moments of Noida techie
19 Jan 2026

A 27-year-old software engineer, Yuvraj Mehta, drowned in Greater Noida after his vehicle fell into a waterlogged pit over the weekend.

The incident occurred when Mehta was driving home from work. He missed a turn due to dense fog, landing in a 50-foot deep, rainwater-filled pit for a commercial project in Sector 150, around 500 meters from his home.

However, his family has criticized emergency responders, alleging they delayed action due to the cold water and submerged iron rods.

Rescue efforts hampered by fog and equipment shortages
Failed rescue

After the crash, Mehta managed to extricate himself from the car and climbed onto the roof of his sinking car, even calling his father for help, with eyewitness accounts suggesting he stayed there for 90 minutes to 2 hours.

According to his father, he said, "I don't want to die."

However, rescue efforts undertaken by police, the fire department, and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were delayed due to dense fog and a lack of proper equipment.

Delayed arrival of rescue teams
Rescue delay

Despite being able to hear Mehta's cries for help, his father, Raj Mehta, and police personnel couldn't locate him in time.

A delivery agent of Flipkart, identified by his first name Moninder, realising Mehta was struggling to breathe, tied a rope around his waist and jumped inside the drain to try save him, but in vain.

After the SDRF team reached the spot, it came to light that it lacked the necessary equipment.

Investigation launched into incident, companies deny responsibility
Aftermath

On the other hand, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team from Ghaziabad took about an hour to arrive.

By the time the NDRF reached, Mehta had been clinging to his car for around 90 minutes before completely sinking into the pit. His body was recovered around 4:30am using a boat after hours of failed rescue attempts.

Formal complaint of negligence
Investigation

The incident has sparked outrage and led to a case of culpable homicide against two real estate firms involved in the project. However, both companies have denied responsibility for the pit's condition.

ACP Noida, Rajiv Narayan Mishra, confirmed that an FIR has been registered on the basis of the family's complaint.

The Noida Authority has also issued show-cause notices to staff responsible for traffic management in Sector 150 and terminated a junior engineer over negligence related to this incident.