Delivery Man Who Tried Saving Noida Techie From Ditch Narrates What Happened

A delivery agent who tried saving the 27-year-old software engineer after his car fell into a water-filled deep pit in Noida has alleged that rescue personnel were initially reluctant to enter the water because of the cold, poor visibility, and the presence of iron rods at the construction site.

The victim, identified as Yuvraj Mehta, died after his Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara fell into a water-filled pit dug for the basement of an under-construction building near Sector 150 around midnight on Saturday. Mehta, a resident of Tata Eureka Park society in Sector 150, was working as a software engineer with a company in Gurugram and was returning home from work.

Moninder, the delivery agent, said he was at the accident site at around 1.45 am and jumped into the pit in a desperate attempt to help the victim when he saw rescue workers struggling.

"There was a lot of fog, and the vehicle missed a turn and fell into the pit. The victim then called his father for help. The father then called the police, who arrived on time. A fire brigade team also came about 20 minutes after the police arrived," Moninder told NDTV on Sunday.

He alleged that the fire brigade team "could have saved" Mehta. 

"At that time, the boy was 20-25 feet away and was standing on the roof of the car. He kept saying, 'I am showing you the mobile phone's torch; please save me.' But no one went inside to save him," Moninder said.

"They (the rescue personnel) said that this is a basement and has iron rods, and the water is very cold. They said they will get into trouble," he said.

He said he then decided to jump into the pit after seeing that the rescuers "didn't have courage".

"I took off my clothes, wore a safety jacket, tied a rope around my waist, and went into the water," Moninder said.

He also said the same ditch had witnessed another accident about a fortnight ago in which a truck driver was rescued by him and other delivery agents using ropes and a ladder.

"Even then, the authorities did nothing and didn't install any barricade," he charged.

Speaking to reporters later, he said that he was later told that "if help had arrived 10 minutes earlier, the techie could have been saved."

Police, however, rejected the charge. Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Rajeev Narayan Mishra said police and fire department teams made efforts to save Mehta. He said they deployed a crane, ladder, makeshift boat and searchlights, but visibility was near zero due to fog.

Mehta's body was recovered after an over five-hour search operation from the fire department, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the local police.

Noida Techie's Father Recalls Last Conversation

Yuvraj Mehta's father, Raj Kumar Mehta, said he had called him after the accident.

"I spoke to him shortly before the accident. He told me he was on his way home," he told reporters.

"A little later, he called again in panic and said his car had met with an accident and fallen into a drain. He asked me to come immediately," he said.

He then rushed to the spot.

"Police were called, and some people nearby also tried to help, but nothing could be done to save my son," he said.

The father said when he reached the spot, he again called his son but could not locate the car, as the visibility was low.

"Somehow, when I called him, he opened the torchlight of his phone inside the car, because of which we could see a faint little light from the water body. But it was so difficult for anybody to get inside the water body. Police and other rescue officials tried throwing a rope, but to no avail," he told reporters.

The father also claimed if expert divers could have gone in, then maybe his son would have been saved. 

"My son struggled for two hours to save his life," he said.

Noida Engineer Sacked, Notices Issued To Traffic Work Officials

Following the accident, the Noida Authority terminated a junior engineer and issued show-cause notices to other officials responsible for traffic-related works in the area.

In an official statement Sunday night, the authority said its Chief Executive Officer, Lokesh M, has ordered strict action in the case and directed the immediate termination of the services of junior engineer Naveen Kumar of the Noida Traffic Cell.

He further sought detailed reports from the concerned departments regarding the allotment and construction activities of the developer, Lotus, and directed a review of safety arrangements at the site.

Stating that negligence of safety norms at construction sites would not be tolerated, the authority said all departments have been instructed to reinspect safety measures at ongoing construction projects in their respective areas to prevent recurrence of such incidents.