The director of real estate firm Wiztown Planners was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the death of 27-year-old software engineer Yuvraj Mehta, who drowned in a waterlogged trench in Sector 150 earlier this week.
Arrest and charges
Police said the commercial plot where the trench was dug was in the possession of Wiztown Planners. Its director, Abhay Kumar, a resident of Delhi’s Commonwealth Games Village, has been booked under Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 106-1 (causing death by negligence) and 125 (rash or negligent acts endangering human life). He was remanded to judicial custody for a day and will be produced in court again on Wednesday.
How the tragedy unfolded
Yuvraj Mehta was driving back home to Tata Eureka Park late at night amid dense fog when he lost control of his car at a sharp 90-degree turn in Sector 150. His vehicle crashed through a weak boundary wall and plunged into the water-filled trench. Despite crying out for help for several minutes, he could not be rescued in time and died at the spot.
Rescue failure under scanner
Yuvraj’s father, Raj Mehta, who rushed to the site after receiving an SOS call, alleged that neither police nor fire personnel attempted to enter the trench due to lack of equipment or swimming skills. A delivery rider passing by reportedly made the only rescue attempt by entering the water.
SIT begins detailed probe
Following public outrage, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and removed the Noida Authority CEO. The three-member SIT, led by Bhanu Bhaskar, has begun examining civic lapses, the developer’s responsibility, and failures in road safety and emergency response.
The case has sparked wider debate on unchecked construction practices, civic accountability, and public safety in fast-growing urban corridors.