Noida techie death case: Police arrest 2 more builders

NOIDA: Police in Noida have arrested two more builders in connection with the death of 27-year-old software engineer Yuvraj Mehta, whose car plunged into a water-filled construction pit in Sector 150.The accused have been identified as Ravi Bansal and Sachin Karnwal, officials said on Thursday. A total of five builders have been booked, while Wish Town builder Abhay Kumar was arrested earlier and remains in judicial custody. The arrests come as a newly surfaced video has cast a stark light on Yuvraj’s final moments — showing how close he came to being rescued, yet how helplessly time slipped away.

The clip, recorded from the edge of the excavation pit, shows near-total darkness broken only by a faint, trembling beam of light. Police say the light was from Yuvraj’s mobile phone torch, which he repeatedly switched on as he stood trapped in the middle of the water-filled pit, signalling that he was still alive. According to investigators, Yuvraj’s Grand Vitara SUV broke through a damaged boundary wall shortly after midnight and plunged into a pit nearly 30 feet deep, dug for a commercial project near ATS Le Grandiose. The excavation, police say, had no barricades, warning lights or reflectors and was rendered almost invisible by dense winter fog.

Unable to swim, Yuvraj managed to escape the vehicle as it filled with water and climbed onto its roof. From there, he called his father, shared his live location on WhatsApp and continued flashing his phone’s torch. Eyewitnesses told police that more than 100 people gathered at the site over the next hour. “We could hear his screams clearly,” one witness said. “But all we could see was that faint ray of light. No one could reach him.” For nearly 90 minutes, Yuvraj fought the cold, rising water and exhaustion. His father, Raj Mehta, a retired State Bank of India director who lives less than a kilometre away, reached the spot within minutes of receiving the call. “He kept shouting, ‘Save me, papa’,” he said. “I could hear him for almost an hour. Each time his voice became weaker.” Rescue efforts were delayed due to the lack of equipment and poor visibility, police said.

By the time heavy machinery arrived, Yuvraj had drowned. On Tuesday evening, authorities recovered the submerged SUV from nearly 20 feet of water using a crane. The vehicle, choked with weeds and sludge, bore visible signs of prolonged submersion — reinforcing residents’ claims that the excavation had been left exposed for months. Police say the builders have been booked under sections related to causing death by negligence and for violations of safety norms. Investigators are examining responsibility for maintaining the site, including the absence of barricades and warning systems. The case has triggered renewed scrutiny of construction safety across Noida, with residents and activists calling for stricter enforcement and accountability to prevent similar tragedies.