Noida witnessed a tragic drowning of a 27-year-old software engineer, Yuvraj Mehta, whose SUV crashed through a damaged boundary wall amid poor visibility on Friday midnight and plunged into a flooded
pit dug up for a project in Sector 150. Mehta, who didn’t know swimming, put up a valiant and heart-wrenching struggle, as he managed to get out of the car, climbed onto its roof and even called his father and friend. The authorities, according to the friend and father, failed to rescue Mehta in time. Mehta’s body and his car were pulled out of the pit after five hours. Knowledge Park Police Station in-charge Sarvesh Kumar said any negligence found in the case will be investigated, and necessary legal action will be taken.
#NoidaTragedy | A 27-year-old software engineer, Yuvraj Mehta, drowned after his SUV broke through a damaged boundary wall and plunged into a flooded pit at a commercial site in Sector 150 around midnight. His father spoke exclusively to CNN News18 about the incident… pic.twitter.com/KvBgiSfZy8
— News18 (@CNNnews18) January 18, 2026
‘I don’t want to die’: How Mehta landed in the pit
Mehta worked at Dunnhumby India, a customer data science company in Gurugram, and was heading home after work. Because of the thick fog and lack of streetlights and reflectors, Mehta couldn’t see the high-ground ridge that separates two adjacent drainage basins ahead at a sharp turn near ATS Le Grandiose in Sector 150, which led to the accident. He fell into a 70-feet-deep ditch filled with water.
Mehta lived in the same sector, so his father Raj Kumar Mehta and the police arrived at the scene within minutes. However, due to the dense fog, they couldn’t see Yuvraj, although they could hear his voice.
Rescue boat came only two hours later to fetch his body: Father Raj Kumar Mehta
On his last call to his father, Yuvraj Mehta said, “Dad, I’ve fallen into a deep pit filled with water. I’m drowning. Please come and save me. I don’t want to die.” Recounting the call before the last, he said, “I told him there was fog, so drive carefully. He said he would, as always. He was later than usual due to work in office…A reflector or barrier would have stopped him in time.”
“The State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) team came around 3am. They called for JCB. It took two hours to prepare the boat to go inside. They came late. The boat that was supposed to help my son reached only after two hours to fetch his body,” Raj Kumar Mehta told CNN-News18.
“They only had ropes which couldn’t reach Yuvraj…The road was made because of the prior accident of the truck. If not for that, the vehicle would not have met with the accident…No remedial measures were taken,” he alleged.
“I was requesting everyone there that if anyone knew swimming, please save my son. The authorities had only a rope, nothing else,” he said, adding, “Help was not delivered to him….Official statements following the incident were cheap defence…I tried my level best, but I couldn’t help my son due to lack of infrastructure. I told them to ensure the rope reaches my son. He was fighting and ready to cooperate. I kept giving him hope till the very end,” he said.
“I went to the other end as there was no network. I was on the move for hours,” he said, adding, “When we reached the hospital, they said he had died some time ago and could not be revived.”
The family has filed a First Information Report (FIR). “I want the authorities to ensure that all safety measures are put in place so there is no other loss of life. My loss is invaluable,” Mehta said.
Police said they didn’t know how to swim, alleges Tokas
“He was six-foot tall, a fit guy, but did not know how to swim,” said Pankaj Tokas, a close friend, who reached the spot within minutes and alert the police.
Sources say the SDRF team arrived first, but they didn’t have the necessary equipment for the rescue.
According to Tokas, the police personnel who arrived at the spot kept saying they did not know how to swim. “Cranes and ropes were also called, but no one entered the water to save my friend…He stopped pleading for help around 2.30 am,” said Tokas.
He was very ambitious and intelligent and earned a good reputation at work, said Tokas.
“He was my only son, his sister is in the UK. He had a bright future ahead. He had studied hard to clear his exams,” said Raj Kumar Mehta.
#NoidaTragedy | A 27-year-old software engineer, Yuvraj Mehta, drowned after his SUV went through a damaged boundary wall, plunging into a flooded pit dug for a commercial project in Sector 150 around midnight@SimranBabbar_05 shares more information#Noida #NoidaSector150… pic.twitter.com/5uGiU2qc4g
— News18 (@CNNnews18) January 18, 2026
I jumped in without any gear, SDRF pretended to help: Saviour Moninder
A delivery executive jumped in to save the life of the man. Moninder, who described the entire incident, narrated how the SDRF casually acted to pretend to save him but he jumped in without any gear to try and rescue him from the pit that is expected to be around 70 feet deep.
Moninder said he couldn’t find Mehta because of poor visibility, but Mehta kept shouting for help. Police stood at the scene but couldn’t rescue him.
“I had to deliver an order at around 1:40 A.M. When I reached the spot, I enquired about what was going on there. A few people told me that a man had been trapped in the pit since 12 A.M. The police came here. They called the fire department, which got here within 15-20 minutes. The SDRF teams reached the site a bit late. However, despite having the required equipment and necessary safety materials, the man’s car was floating on top of the water for about two hours. He kept pleading for help, which fell on deaf ears. There were over 100 men around, but no one stepped up to help him.”
“They asked me if I knew how to swim. I agreed. However, I also asked them why nobody was going to help the man. I noticed that the fire department was fully equipped with fire safety jackets and a crane. The man was alive when the fire department was here. They could have saved him 100 per cent. They were well-equipped,” he said.
Not the first time
A similar incident was reported from the spot 18 days ago, when a loaded truck fell into this pit and partially submerged.
Despite that, a stoppage was not installed at the uncovered boundary wall in sector 150 in Noida This is the open pit against which residents had protested. A similar protest will be held at 5 pm.
Residents alleged they had alerted the authorities to put a concrete boundary wall over this section, but the authorities failed to act on it.
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