Eyewitness delivery agent recounts bid to save Greater Noida techie; father seeks accountability

Noida, Jan 18 (PTI) The 27-year-old software engineer, who lost his life after his car plunged into an over 20-foot-deep, water-filled pit in Greater Noida on Friday night, was frantically calling for help as the vehicle began to submerge and could have been saved with quicker rescue efforts, according to eyewitnesses including his father who reached the site after getting his phone call for help.

Raj Kumar Mehta said his son, Yuvraj Mehta, even flashed the torchlight of his phone when he called him again because they could not locate him due to poor visibility caused by fog at the accident site. He also told his son "don't panic, we are trying to help you". But there was no expert diver, and he found himself watching helplessly as his son lost his battle to survive.

A delivery agent who witnessed the accident claimed Yuvraj could have been saved had the rescuers entered the water in time, recounting how he himself entered the water-filled pit in a desperate attempt to help.

Moninder, the delivery agent, on Sunday said he reached the spot in Sector 150 around 1.45 am (Saturday). He alleged that rescue personnel were initially reluctant to enter the water because of the cold and the presence of iron rods.

"I tied a rope around my waist and went into the water myself. I searched for the youth and his car for around 30 minutes," Moninder told reporters, adding that he was later told that "if help had reached 10 minutes earlier, the techie could have been saved".

He claimed that Mehta was initially seen standing on the roof of his car, using his mobile phone's torch to signal passers-by and pleading for help.

Moninder also said the same ditch had earlier witnessed another accident in which a truck driver was rescued by locals using ropes and a ladder.

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

Yuvraj's father described his last conversation with his son and demanded accountability for what he termed negligence at the site.

He said Yuvraj was working as a software engineer with a Gurugram-based company and was on a hybrid work schedule, mostly working from home and visiting the office twice a week.

On Friday, Yuvraj had gone to the office and was returning home late at night amid heavy fog.

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

"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." Sensing the urgency, he 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 that when he reached the spot, he again called his son but could not locate the vehicle in the drain.

"Visibility was very low and 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. The police and other rescue officials tried throwing a rope, but to no avail," he told reporters.

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

Mehta said that a truck had met with an accident at the same spot a few days earlier and accused the local authority of failing to install basic safety measures such as barricades and reflectors.

He demanded strict accountability of those responsible so that such incidents are not repeated and "precious lives are saved in future".

The police have said an FIR has been lodged on the family's complaint and the matter is under investigation. PTI COR KIS RT RT RT