"I Tried Everything": Noida Techie's Father Recounts "Papa, Save Me" Call

A 27-year-old software engineer, Yuvraj Mehta, died after his car plunged into a deep, water-filled ditch amid dense fog in Noida, a tragedy his father, Rajkumar Mehta, says unfolded as he heard his son's desperate pleas of "papa, mujhe bacha lo" during the final hours of his life.

Yuvraj, who belonged to Sitamarhi in Bihar, worked as a software engineer with Dunnhumby in Gurugram. His mother had passed away two years earlier, and his sister lives in the UK. Rajkumar Mehta told NDTV that Yuvraj had worked very hard to qualify for his exams and build his career.

On Friday evening, Rajkumar received a call and text from his son informing him that his car had fallen into a ditch. He rushed to the spot and also alerted the police and fire brigade. The teams arrived within 15 minutes, but the father said they did not have the proper resources to pull his son out.

Read | Techie Drowns In Noida Ditch, Told Father "Don't Want To Die" In Last Call

Yuvraj remained trapped on the roof of the car from around midnight to 2:00 am, trying to balance himself so the vehicle would not sink. He used his phone's flashlight to show where he was stuck in the dense fog. 

"We took him to the hospital but he was long gone by that time. I tried everything in my power to save him," his father told NDTV. "I was running around everywhere so that someone could come and take him out of there, but to no avail. He was constantly saying 'papa mujhe bacha lo' (papa, save me) during his last hours."

A Flipkart delivery agent, Moninder, eventually entered the ditch in an attempt to rescue him, but by then, Yuvraj had already lost his life. He was taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead.

Read | Delivery Agent's Heroic Attempt To Help Techie Who Drowned In Noida

The incident took place on Friday night near Sector 150, when Yuvraj Mehta was returning home from work.

Due to the dense fog and the absence of reflectors on the road, his car collided with a high-ground ridge that separates two adjacent drainage basins, and fell into a 70-feet-deep ditch filled with water. Some people who were passing by heard Mehta's screams and tried to help, but the car was completely submerged. 

Local police, divers, and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams arrived at the scene and initiated a rescue operation. Mehta's father was also present at the spot.

The techie and his car were pulled out of the ditch after nearly five hours of rescue efforts. Mehta, however, was declared dead.

Following the incident, Mehta's family filed a complaint, alleging that the authorities had neither installed reflectors nor covered drains along the service road. The absence of reflectors along the road amid dense fog caused the accident, the father said. 

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.

The incident also sparked widespread outrage among residents, with some locals organising protests and shouting slogans against the authorities. According to them, they had repeatedly demanded the installation of reflectors and signage on the service road, but no action was taken.

Shortly after, the authorities filled the deep ditch with several tons of garbage and debris.