‘Papa, Save Me’: Noida Techie’s Father Recalls Son’s Last Call Before He Drowned In Deep Ditch

The father of a 27-year-old software engineer who died after his car plunged into a water-filled ditch in Noida has blamed authorities for what he called a complete failure of infrastructure and rescue preparedness, saying the tragedy could have been prevented.

Speaking to CNN News18, Rajkumar Mehta, father of Yuvraj Mehta, said he desperately pleaded for help at the accident site but found neither proper equipment nor trained personnel to rescue his son.

“I was requesting everyone there that if anyone knew swimming, please save my son. The authorities had only a rope, nothing else,” he said.

The incident occurred late Friday night near Sector 150, when Yuvraj was returning home from work amid dense fog. Due to poor visibility and the absence of

reflectors or warning signs, his car struck a raised drainage boundary and plunged into a nearly 70-foot-deep ditch filled with water.

According to the family, passersby heard Yuvraj screaming for help as the vehicle began to submerge.

He managed to call his father moments after the crash. “He told me, ‘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,’” Rajkumar Mehta recalled.

Police, divers and disaster response teams reached the spot, but the rescue operation faced repeated delays.

Mehta alleged that even when personnel from the State Disaster Response Force arrived, they said a boat could not be deployed into the ditch. “A JCB was later called to create a slope. By then, the boat was being brought not to rescue my son, but to recover his body,” he said.

Yuvraj’s car was finally pulled out nearly five hours later, but he was declared dead.

“There were no signboards, no reflectors, nothing to warn drivers. I lost my son because of this negligence,” the grieving father said, adding that official statements following the incident were “very cheap” and did not reflect the reality on the ground.

“Help was not delivered to him. I tried my level best, but I couldn’t help my son due to lack of infrastructure,” he said.

The family has filed an FIR, demanding accountability and corrective measures. “I want authorities to ensure that all safety measures are put in place so no other parent has to face this,” Mehta said.

The incident triggered public outrage, with residents staging protests and accusing authorities of ignoring repeated demands for reflectors and warning signage along the service road.

Locals claimed they had raised safety concerns multiple times but received no response.

Police said the matter is under investigation. Knowledge Park Police Station in-charge Sarvesh Kumar stated that any negligence found would invite legal action.