Noida Builder Arrested In Techie Yuvraj Mehta's Death Case; Further Probe On

Greater Noida Police have arrested builder Abhay Kumar in connection with the death of 27-year-old software engineer Yuvraj Mehta, whose SUV plunged into an unbarricaded, water-filled construction pit in Noida’s Sector 150. The Uttar Pradesh government has ordered an SIT probe, removed the Noida Authority CEO, and launched action against officials amid widespread outrage over alleged safety lapses.

Greater Noida Police on Tuesday arrested builder Abhay Kumar in connection with the death of 27-year-old software engineer Yuvraj Mehta, who drowned after his SUV plunged into a water-filled construction pit in Noida’s Sector 150. The arrest was made by a team from the Knowledge Park police station after Kumar was named in the case.

Kumar is one of the owners of Wishtown Planners Pvt Ltd. Police said efforts are underway to trace the second owner, Manish Kumar, who is currently absconding.

Mehta died late at night when his vehicle went through a broken boundary wall and fell into an unbarricaded pit dug for the construction of a mall basement. The pit, originally excavated in 2021, is around 20 feet deep and has been filled with water for over a year. The incident occurred amid dense fog and poor visibility near the Sector 150 turn in the Knowledge Park area.

Following Mehta’s death, an FIR was registered against Wishtown Planners and Lotus Greens on the complaint of the victim’s father, Rajkumar Mehta. Lotus Greens later stated that it had sold the project to Wishtown Planners and the Grihapravesh Group in 2019–20 with the approval of the Noida Authority.

In a significant administrative action, the Uttar Pradesh government on Monday removed Noida Authority CEO Lokesh M, a 2005-batch IAS officer, and ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the circumstances leading to the fatal accident. The SIT has been directed to submit its report within five days.

A day before his removal, Lokesh M had dismissed a junior engineer and issued show-cause notices to other officials responsible for road and traffic management in Sector 150.

An NDRF team reached the accident site on Tuesday to assess safety lapses and assist with the investigation. Police officials confirmed that the post-mortem examination revealed water in Mehta’s lungs, and the cause of death was cardiac arrest. His body was recovered after a search operation lasting several hours.

According to the victim’s family, the pit had been left exposed without barricades, warning signs, lighting or reflectors, amounting to gross negligence. Rajkumar Mehta alleged that repeated safety violations in the area were ignored despite the site being part of the National Capital Region.

Reacting strongly, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari questioned the administration’s preparedness and handling of public safety.

“Do not call this an accident or a mishap. What happened to the software engineer in Noida was a murder. There was no barricading; the vehicle went straight in, and such a huge pit was left open,” Tiwari said. “Is this the ‘new India’ where a man is calling his father for help, people stand and watch, and there is no rescue equipment, no resources, no procedure? A helpless man was killed while people looked on.”

The incident has sparked widespread outrage and renewed scrutiny of construction safety norms across Noida and Greater Noida, with growing calls for accountability and stricter enforcement to prevent similar tragedies.

(With IANS Inputs)