‘Papa, I am stuck’: Noida techie’s last call before drowning after car crash
The 27-year-old software professional survived the fall but remained trapped for nearly two hours as rescue was delayed, police and eyewitnesses said
A 27-year-old software professional died in a tragic accident in Noida’s Sector 150 after his car crashed through a roadside barrier and plunged into a water-filled basement of an abandoned building, police said.
Survived initial impact
The victim, identified as Yuvraj Mehta, was driving through the area around midnight when he reportedly lost control of his vehicle due to poor visibility. His car broke through a boundary wall and fell nearly 30 feet into a flooded basement connected to a drain. While Mehta survived the initial impact, he later drowned as rescue efforts failed to reach him in time.
Also Read: Greater Noida residents fall ill due to alleged water contamination
According to officials, multiple agencies, including the Knowledge Park Police, fire brigade personnel, SDRF, and NDRF, were deployed at the site. However, dense fog, inadequate lighting, and the depth of the water severely hampered the rescue operation. After nearly four hours, Mehta was pulled out unconscious and taken to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Called father after crash
As per a Hindustan Times report, Mehta managed to call his father shortly after the accident. Speaking to the daily, Raj Kumar Mehta, the victim’s father, said his son told him he was trapped after the car fell into a drain. “My son himself called me while he was trapped. He said, ‘Papa, I am stuck, the car has fallen into the drain,’” the father told HT.
Raj Kumar said he rushed to the spot but found that rescue efforts were delayed due to the absence of a swimmer. “If there had been a swimmer, someone could have reached him, as the water was very deep,” he said.
Friends of the victim also questioned the response time. A friend, Pankaj, told Hindustan Times that rescue teams arrived around 2.30 am and were unable to enter the water until nearly an hour later.
An eyewitness, Moninder, said Mehta remained trapped inside the submerged car for close to two hours. During that time, he repeatedly cried out for help. “For around one hour and forty-five minutes, he kept pleading, saying, ‘please save me, save me in any way possible,’” the eyewitness told reporters.
Speeding, poor visibility cited
Also Read: Manipur woman arrested for killing South Korean live-in partner in Noida
Assistant commissioner of Police Hemant Upadhyay said the area had a large drain, around six to seven feet wide, and inadequate safety measures may have played a role. “Due to poor visibility and high speed, the driver appears to have lost control,” he said.
In his complaint to the police, accessed by Hindustan Times, Mehta’s father alleged that residents of Sector 150 had repeatedly requested the Noida authorities to install proper barricades and reflectors near the drain, but no action was taken.
Upadhyay said that while parts of the boundary wall were damaged, it was still unclear how the car fell into the basement and became completely submerged. Further investigation is underway.