Papa Please Save Me: Noida Man's Last Call Before Drowning
A 27-year-old software engineer, Yuvraj Mehta, died in Noida after his car fell into a deep water-filled ditch amid dense fog, sparking outrage over poor road safety and delayed rescue.
A tragic incident occurred in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, on 16 January 2026, when 27-year-old software engineer Yuvraj Mehta died after his car fell into a deep, water-filled ditch amid dense fog. Yuvraj, a resident of Tata Eureka Park Society, was returning from his office in Gurugram around midnight in his Grand Vitara car.
About 500 metres from his home, low visibility due to thick fog and the absence of lights in the under-construction area caused his vehicle to go out of control. The car broke a wall along a deep drain and plunged into a water-filled basement estimated to be 30 feet deep. Yuvraj managed to climb on top of the car and called his father, Rajkumar Mehta, before help could arrive.
Emergency teams reached the spot, but initial rescue attempts failed due to extreme cold, dense fog, and the risk posed by under-construction pillars. A passerby, Moninder, bravely jumped into the freezing water but could not locate Yuvraj. Local police, the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), and divers also struggled due to lack of proper equipment. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) arrived from Ghaziabad after an hour and finally pulled Yuvraj and his car out of the ditch around 5 hours after the accident. He was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead.
Yuvraj’s father criticised the authorities for the delay and inadequate resources, saying, “We took him to the hospital but he was long gone by that time. He was constantly saying 'papa mujhe bacha lo' during his last hours.” Following the incident, the family filed a complaint highlighting that the service road lacked reflectors and proper coverage over drains, which contributed to the accident.
Noida Police have lodged an FIR against two builders, MJ Wishtown Planner Limited and Lotus Green Construction Private Limited. The accident sparked protests from residents demanding better road safety measures. Authorities later filled the deep ditch with garbage and debris, but the tragic loss of Yuvraj Mehta has left the community in shock.
