What Caused Noida Techie Yuvraj Mehta’s Death?

Noida, January 19: A 27-year-old software engineer, Yuvraj Mehta, died on Friday night, January 16, after his vehicle plunged into a water-filled construction pit in Greater Noida’s Sector 150. Despite a massive rescue operation involving nearly 80 personnel from three different departments, the young professional drowned as his father and onlookers watched from the sidelines.

The accident occurred around midnight amid dense fog as Yuvraj was returning from his Gurugram office to his residence at Tata Eureka Park. His car veered off the road into a deep, unbarricaded drain that had overflowed due to heavy waterlogging. While Yuvraj managed to exit the vehicle and climb onto its roof, shouting for help and using his phone’s torch to signal his position, rescuers reportedly hesitated to enter the freezing, hazard-filled water.

The autopsy report, accessed by India Today on Monday, January 19, officially confirms that Yuvraj died of asphyxiation. Additionally, the medical findings mention heart failure, likely triggered by the extreme physical stress and the freezing conditions of the water. These findings underscore the prolonged nature of the struggle Yuvraj faced before he and his vehicle were completely submerged around 1:45 AM.

Autopsy Confirms Asphyxiation and Heart Failure

Yuvraj’s father, Rajkumar Mehta, a former director at the State Bank of India, has accused emergency responders of professional negligence. He alleged that while police, fire brigade, and SDRF teams were present, they delayed entering the water, citing the cold temperature and the risk posed by submerged iron rods. The rescue operation reportedly lacked the necessary coordination to reach the victim before the car overturned and sank.

An eyewitness, Moninder, a delivery agent, corroborated these claims. Moninder reported that he arrived at the scene and offered to enter the water himself after seeing official personnel standing back. He eventually tied a rope around his waist and swam 50 meters into the pit, but by then, the car had already disappeared from view.

Following the tragedy, a formal FIR has been registered against two real estate companies: MJ Wishtown Planner Limited and Lotus Green Construction Private Limited. The complaint alleges that the firms failed to provide basic safety measures, such as barricades, reflectors, or warning signs, around the deep excavation site.

Residents of Sector 150 had reportedly raised safety concerns regarding this specific area multiple times in the past. The police are now investigating whether criminal negligence by the developers led to the fatal accident.

The incident has put the local administration and emergency services under intense scrutiny. Although the NDRF was eventually called in to recover the body, the delay in the initial response has led to questions about the training and equipment available to local fire and police units for water-based rescues.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 19, 2026 04:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).