The Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday arrested builder Abhay Kumar, owner of MZ Wishtown, in connection with the death of a 27-year-old software engineer whose car fell into a water-filled pit in Noida’s
Sector 150.
The arrest was made by a team from the Knowledge Park Police Station. The case has triggered nationwide outrage, prompting the state government to order a high-level probe.
Police had registered an FIR against two real estate developers — M/s Wishtown Planners and Lotus Greens — under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder and causing death by negligence.
Meanwhile, a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), formed on the orders of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has begun its investigation.
The SIT arrived at the Noida Authority office on Tuesday. Senior officials, including ADG Meerut Bhanu Bhaskar, Police Commissioner Lakshmi Singh, Meerut Divisional Commissioner Bhanu Chand Goswami, and District Magistrate Megha Rupam, were present during the meeting.
A team from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the ACP of the Knowledge Park Circle also reached the site.
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The SIT has been tasked with examining the cause of Yuvraj Mehta’s death and identifying lapses and negligence. It has been asked to complete the investigation within five days and submit a report to the Chief Minister.
The incident occurred in the early hours of January 17, three days ago. Mehta was returning home to Tata Eureka Park society when his car allegedly skidded due to dense fog. The vehicle broke a drain boundary and plunged into a deep pit filled with water at an under-construction commercial site near a drain in Sector 150.
The pit, dug for a basement, had collected large amounts of water due to rainfall and continuous discharge from nearby residential drains. Restrictions on releasing excess water into the Hindon River had further increased the water level.
Mehta’s body was recovered on Saturday morning. A post-mortem conducted on Monday confirmed death due to asphyxia followed by cardiac arrest.
