Man dies after car plunges into water-filled pit in Greater Noida; initial probe says ‘fog, overspeeding’ led to incident

A 27-year-old software engineer died when his car went out of control and fell into a 20-metre-deep water-filled pit dug for the basement of an under-construction building in Sector 150 of Greater Noida, police said on Sunday (January 18, 2026).

The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday, January 17, 2026, following which a search operation was launched. The body was recovered later in the morning with the help of fire brigade, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and local police teams.

Knowledge Park police station police said they received information that a car had fallen into a ditch near Sector 150 around 12.15am.

The deceased has been identified as Yuvraj Mehta, a resident of Tata Eureka Park society in Sector 150. Police said he was working as a software engineer in a reputed company in Gurugram and was returning home from work when the incident happened.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Greater Noida) Hemant Upadhyay said, “The search operation was carried out with the help of NDRF, SDRF, fire brigade and local police. The body was found around 4 am on Saturday, January 17, 2026.” he said.

He said that the preliminary investigation suggested that fog and excessive speed may have caused the accident, and then the car went through the sewer and fell into the pit.

Police reported that the body was sent for autopsy and the investigation continues.

Locals staged a protest against the Noida Authority alleging negligence. They claimed that similar accidents had occurred in the past and that the authorities had been repeatedly informed about the need for proper barricades and reflectors near the drains.

“Citizens demanded the Noida Authority to set up barricades and reflectors but no action was taken,” said a protester.