What Killed Noida Techie Yuvraj Mehta: Water In Lungs, Then Cardiac Arrest

Yuvraj Mehta, the 27-year-old engineer who drowned in a Noida ditch late on Friday, suffocated to death under water and also suffered a cardiac arrest, leading to his death.

The postmortem report of the engineer, who was returning home from his Guguram office when tragedy struck, has revealed that there was about 200 ml of fluid in his lungs. The cause of death is "asphyxia due to antemortem drowning, followed by cardiac arrest", the report says.

Yuvraj was driving home late on Friday night when his car fell into a water-filled ditch amid low visibility due to dense fog. He dialled his father and called for help. Rajkumar Mehta informed the police, and a police team and firefighters reached the spot soon after.

Eyewitnesses have said Yuvraj had switched on his phone's torch and was asking for help. Some have claimed that cops and firefighters were wary of jumping into the ditch because it had iron rods and other debris.

Police have trashed such allegations. Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Rajeev Narayan Mishra said cops and firefighters used equipment such as a crane, ladder, makeshift boat and searchlights, but rescue efforts were hampered by near-zero visibility due to the fog.

Local residents have said the water-filled ditch was not even barricaded, making it a death trap for drivers during low visibility conditions.

Under fire after the incident, the local authorities are now working to fill the ditch. The local Junior Engineer has been terminated from service, and several officials issued show-cause notices. Satish Pal Singh, the Additional CEO of Noida, told NDTV, "The entire matter is being investigated, and action will be taken against those responsible. Previous complaints by local residents are also being looked into."

"This blind spot was accidentally left out. It is now being addressed. The CEO has launched a campaign to identify such blind spots," he said.

Police have also registered a case against two builders, MJ Wishtown Planner Limited and Lotus Green Construction Private Limited, in connection with the techie's death.