A day after a 25-year-old biker plunged to his death in a 14-foot-deep pit in Janakpuri, police arrested the sub-contractor who had dug the pit for water works. The accused, identified as Rajesh Kumar Prajapati, allegedly visited the site hours after the accident but left without alerting police or arranging rescue, allowing the victim to remain unattended for over six hours, as reported by TOI.
Police told TOI the biker, Kamal Dhyani, fell into the open pit late at night. A labourer at the site alerted Prajapati, who reached the spot within 15–20 minutes from his home in Tri Nagar, saw the victim lying inside the pit and walked away. Police were eventually informed around 8.03 am the next morning by a passerby.
Prajapati, a resident of Tri Nagar, told police he did not inform authorities because he was frightened. Police have also launched a search for the labourer who first noticed the biker and informed his employer but did not take steps to help the victim.
Deputy commissioner of police (west) Darade Sharad Bhaskar said an eyewitness, Vipin Singh, had seen the motorcycle fall into the pit. Singh and his family witnessed the accident while returning to Sagarpur after attending a wedding in Rohini. He informed a security guard at a nearby residential complex, who then relayed the information to the contractor’s labourer, Yogesh.
Also Read: “Only 10 minutes to go”: 25-year-old biker's death in Janakpuri sparks questions over police response
Police suspect Yogesh has fled to his hometown Etawah in Uttar Pradesh. Investigators have questioned the security guard to reconstruct the sequence of events and said they will also question the main contractor who hired the sub-contractor.
The accident was finally reported to police by a woman who noticed the motorcycle in the pit while on her way to drop her son at school around 8 am. Her husband told TOI that she first informed a security guard, who ignored her. “As more people gathered, she asked them to alert the police, but they made excuses—one even claimed he didn’t have balance on her phone,” he said. Frustrated, she stayed at the spot and called the PCR herself seeking immediate help.
Police sources said Prajapati made two to three phone calls on the night of the incident, and those he contacted will also be questioned. Prajapati told police he had entered the construction field only after the Covid pandemic. A senior police officer told TOI that documents have been sought from the Delhi Jal Board to verify under whom he was employed at the time.
The inquiry revealed that the pit into which Kamal fell had been dug on the afternoon of January 5, just hours before the accident. Another pit in the area had existed earlier and was known to regular commuters, but this fresh excavation may not have been anticipated by the biker, police said.
Police said an on-site inspection showed that the Delhi Jal Board and its contractors failed to ensure basic safety measures during excavation, including barricading, warning signs, reflectors and lighting. Despite the known risks posed by open pits, no precautions were taken and no security guard was deployed at the site.
Police told TOI the biker, Kamal Dhyani, fell into the open pit late at night. A labourer at the site alerted Prajapati, who reached the spot within 15–20 minutes from his home in Tri Nagar, saw the victim lying inside the pit and walked away. Police were eventually informed around 8.03 am the next morning by a passerby.
Prajapati, a resident of Tri Nagar, told police he did not inform authorities because he was frightened. Police have also launched a search for the labourer who first noticed the biker and informed his employer but did not take steps to help the victim.
Deputy commissioner of police (west) Darade Sharad Bhaskar said an eyewitness, Vipin Singh, had seen the motorcycle fall into the pit. Singh and his family witnessed the accident while returning to Sagarpur after attending a wedding in Rohini. He informed a security guard at a nearby residential complex, who then relayed the information to the contractor’s labourer, Yogesh.
Also Read: “Only 10 minutes to go”: 25-year-old biker's death in Janakpuri sparks questions over police response
Janakpuri pit dug hours before tragedy; no warning signs put
According to the DCP, call records show that Yogesh informed Prajapati at 12.22 am after confirming the presence of the victim. “When Yogesh saw the victim, the motorcycle’s headlight was still on,” the officer told TOI, adding that Prajapati reached the site shortly thereafter.Police suspect Yogesh has fled to his hometown Etawah in Uttar Pradesh. Investigators have questioned the security guard to reconstruct the sequence of events and said they will also question the main contractor who hired the sub-contractor.
The accident was finally reported to police by a woman who noticed the motorcycle in the pit while on her way to drop her son at school around 8 am. Her husband told TOI that she first informed a security guard, who ignored her. “As more people gathered, she asked them to alert the police, but they made excuses—one even claimed he didn’t have balance on her phone,” he said. Frustrated, she stayed at the spot and called the PCR herself seeking immediate help.
Police sources said Prajapati made two to three phone calls on the night of the incident, and those he contacted will also be questioned. Prajapati told police he had entered the construction field only after the Covid pandemic. A senior police officer told TOI that documents have been sought from the Delhi Jal Board to verify under whom he was employed at the time.
The inquiry revealed that the pit into which Kamal fell had been dug on the afternoon of January 5, just hours before the accident. Another pit in the area had existed earlier and was known to regular commuters, but this fresh excavation may not have been anticipated by the biker, police said.
Police said an on-site inspection showed that the Delhi Jal Board and its contractors failed to ensure basic safety measures during excavation, including barricading, warning signs, reflectors and lighting. Despite the known risks posed by open pits, no precautions were taken and no security guard was deployed at the site.