Fresh details have emerged in the case of 32-year-old Kamal Dhyani’s death after he fell into an open construction pit in west Delhi’s Janakpuri area, with police revealing that workers at the site and the sub-contractor in charge were aware of the incident hours before authorities were informed, but failed to take any action.
Delhi Police on Saturday released a detailed timeline reconstructing the sequence of events leading up to the discovery of Dhyani’s body, pointing to what officers described as a “serious and preventable lapse” at a Delhi Jal Board (DJB) sewer pipeline rehabilitation project.
Eyewitness Saw the Accident After Midnight
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Sharad Bhaskar Darade, investigators identified an eyewitness who saw the fatal accident occur shortly after midnight on Friday.
“During the investigation, we came to know that a man named Vipin Singh, who was returning from a relative’s wedding in Rohini to his home in Sagarpur, saw a motorcycle falling into a ditch,” the DCP said.
Vipin Singh was travelling in a four-wheeler when he witnessed the motorcycle plunge into a nearly 15-foot-deep pit dug along the roadway for sewerage work. Realising the seriousness of what he had seen, Singh stopped his vehicle and approached the worksite.
“He went onto the road carriageway and informed a guard stationed at the site. The guard then conveyed the information to a labourer named Yogesh,” Darade said.
The labourer reportedly looked into the pit and noticed the motorcycle’s headlight still switched on. “Because it was dark, he could only see a human figure inside the pit,” the DCP added.
Contractor Informed at 12:22 AM
Using mobile phone records, call detail logs and electronic surveillance data, police pieced together what happened next.
“At 12.22 am, Yogesh called his employer, sub-contractor Rajesh Kumar Prajapati, who resides in Tri Nagar, and informed him that a motorcycle had fallen into the ditch,” the officer said.
Police maintain that this call establishes that the contractor and his colleagues were aware of the accident shortly after it occurred long before police or emergency services were alerted.
“This clearly shows that the sub-contractor knew about the incident before the police came to know,” Darade said.
Despite being informed, neither Prajapati nor anyone else associated with the project contacted the police, fire department, ambulance services or any emergency authority.
Prajapati allegedly reached the site within 15 to 20 minutes of receiving the call from the labourer. “However, he did not inform the police or any emergency service at that time,” the DCP said.
Authorities were finally alerted only at around 8.30 am on Friday more than eight hours after the accident.
Arrest Made, Search On for Labourer
Rajesh Kumar Prajapati, a B.Com graduate and the sub-contractor responsible for the DJB project at the site, has been arrested. Police teams have been dispatched to trace labourer Yogesh, who is believed to be a resident of Uttar Pradesh and is currently absconding.
CCTV footage from nearby cameras is being examined, though investigators say poor visibility at night has made analysis difficult.
“At night, the footage is blurred, but we are analysing whatever material is available,” Darade said.
Victim’s Family Searched Hospitals Through the Night
While workers at the site allegedly failed to act, Dhyani’s family spent hours desperately searching for him.
Police said the family first checked multiple hospitals across the area, fearing he may have been injured in a road accident. However, no hospital had any record of him being admitted.
Based on mobile phone location data, family members and police personnel then began searching the Janakpuri area. After several hours, they located the construction site where the open pit was found.
The family has alleged that they were made to wait and were initially told a missing person report could only be registered after 24 hours. Police have denied any procedural delay or negligence on their part.
Dhyani’s body was eventually recovered from the pit, bringing an end to the search but raising troubling questions about accountability.
FIR Registered, DJB Engineers Suspended
An FIR has been registered at the Janakpuri police station under Section 105 (culpable homicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against contractor Prajapati and concerned officials of the Delhi Jal Board.
In administrative action, three DJB engineers were suspended on Friday night in connection with the case.
Senior police officials said the investigation is examining not only criminal liability but also systemic failures in safety compliance at civic construction sites.
A Preventable Tragedy
Kamal Dhyani, a resident of Kailashpuri and an employee of a private bank, was returning home when he fell into the unbarricaded pit dug for sewer pipeline rehabilitation.
Police officers acknowledged that had emergency services been alerted immediately after the accident, there may have been a chance to save his life.
The case has reignited concerns over unsafe construction practices across Delhi, where open pits, inadequate barricading, and poor lighting remain common despite repeated accidents and fatalities.
“This was not just an accident,” a senior officer said. “It was a failure to act when action was required.”
As investigations continue, the tragedy has underscored the cost of negligence not just in lost lives, but in the erosion of public trust in civic safety and accountability.
For Dhyani’s family, the loss remains irreparable. For the city, it raises yet another urgent question: how many warnings will it take before safety becomes non-negotiable?
