An Anniversary Cake Kept Waiting As Delhi Biker Met With Tragic End

It was almost midnight. Kamal Dhyani, 25, dialled his twin brother at 11:53 pm on Thursday and assured him he would return home in 10 minutes. The plan was to celebrate their parents' wedding anniversary. The clock kept ticking. The cake lay uncut on the dining table. Thirty minutes passed, but Dhyani did not arrive at his Delhi home.

As repeated calls went unanswered, his parents panicked and left home in search of him. They inquired at his office, checked parks and roads, and visited police stations in Sagarpur, Dabri, Mangolpuri, Janakpuri, Palam, and Rohini.

The police allegedly refused to file a complaint since it had not been 24 hours since he went missing. They sent two personnel to help them find Dhyani. But in vain. The cops asked them to return at 11 am to file a missing person complaint.

"We called Kamal at least 10 times, but all calls went unanswered," recalled his childhood friend Mayank.

The tragic call came the next morning. Dhyani, who worked as an assistant manager at the Rohini branch of HDFC Bank, had been found dead. He and his motorbike had fallen into a construction pit in the Janakpuri area, which was dug by the Delhi Jal Board for sewer work.

Read: Delhi Biker Falls To Death In Pool-Sized Pit Dug Up On Road By Jal Board

Altaf Alam, another friend of Dhyani, told NDTV that he last spoke to his brother Karan and the family never heard from him again.

"It was his parents' wedding anniversary. He had taken an off on Friday to celebrate it. At home, his parents were awake with a cake, waiting to mark their wedding anniversary together once he returned. Kamal had prepared for kirtan and a small party," said Alam.

He described Dhyani as a foodie who often took his friends out for coffee and biryani. "His family is heartbroken. They don't want any politics around the case. Kamal should get justice," he grieved.

The pit in which Dhyani fell to his death has now been covered with green mesh and barricaded by Delhi Jal Board. It also suspended three engineers, a state minister said, assuring strict action against the company that was executing the project.

A criminal case has also been registered against those responsible for the project.

Read: Delhi Biker Told Twin He'll Be Home In 10 Minutes. Then A 7-Hour Search

Those living nearby alleged that the stretch was dark and the dug-up area did not have adequate warning signs, protective barricading, or the green mesh that is now in place.

The grieving family has sought CCTV footage from the vicinity and alleged serious negligence in how the site was managed, and the lack of help from the police.