Four days after the death of Noida-based techie Yuvraj Mehta, authorities finally pulled his car out of a waterlogged pit in Sector 150 on January 20 following a six-hour operation by the National Disaster Response Force. The 27-year-old drowned on January 17 after his car fell into the pit after hitting the low boundary wall amid heavy fog. Despite rescue attempts lasting nearly one and a half hours, Yuvraj could not be saved. He had managed to climb onto the roof of the submerged car and call his father for help, but ropes, ladders and cranes failed to reach him in time. As official rescuers struggled, a delivery agent named Moninder jumped into the pit in an attempt to save Yuvraj, later stating that he searched for about 30 minutes but could not find him. Moninder subsequently alleged that he was intimidated by the police to praise the rescue efforts. However, the victim’s friend accused authorities of apathy, claiming rescue teams did not enter the pit for nearly an hour, while Yuvraj’s father said earlier pleas for barricades and reflectors near the drain had been ignored. An FIR had earlier been filed against two firms allegedly owning the waterlogged site, and a three-member special probe team has now sought accounts from the police, SDRF and other officials involved. Watch the full video for more.
