A techie’s tragic death has intensified the CBI’s probe into Noida’s Sports City project
LUCKNOW: The tragic death of 25-year-old techie Yuvraj Mehta has pushed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) deeper into the tangled web of alleged irregularities surrounding Noida’s ambitious Sports City project, with Wiztown Planners Pvt Ltd emerging as a key focus of the probe.Mehta’s car plunged into a waterlogged, swamp-like plot in Sector 150 of Noida in the early hours of Jan 16.
The land, investigators say, is linked to Wiztown, one of the consortium entities carved out of the original Sports City allotment.Following the incident, the CBI formally widened the scope of its ongoing investigation into the Sports City–02 project and brought Wiztown into the spotlight. The FIR in this regard was one of the three lodged by the agency in March 2025 and Wiztown was one of the developers named as accused.The CBI took over the probe following the direction of Allahabad high court and lodged these FIRs.On Wednesday, the agency took custody of the complete project file of Wiztown from the Noida Authority, signalling a significant escalation in the probe.Official sources confirmed that the Wiztown land parcel measures around 27,000 square metres, with outstanding dues of nearly ₹129 crore payable to the authority.The director of Wiztown Planners Pvt Ltd, Abhay Kumar, was arrested in connection with Mehta’s death, even as investigators examined whether alleged negligence, regulatory lapses, and unauthorised land use played a role in the fatal incident.How Wiztown Entered the Sports City FrameworkThe origins of Wiztown’s involvement lie in a complex restructuring of the Sports City–02 project in Sector 150. In March 2016, the Noida Authority allotted additional land to the lead developer, M/s Lotus Green Constructions Pvt Ltd, which later sought repeated “zero period” concessions, citing lack of peaceful possession and encroachments. While a limited zero period was granted until September 2016, the authority clearly ruled out any further extensions.In January 2017, a consolidated integrated development map for Sports City–02 was approved. Subsequently, the consortium sought subdivision of the land among multiple companies, claiming them to be wholly owned subsidiaries. Over time, the original seven consortium members expanded into 24 separate entities. Wiztown Planners Pvt Ltd was one such company carved out during this subdivision process.Under the approved plan, Wiztown was allotted Plot No SC-02/A3 in Sector 150, measuring 27,185 square metres, with a permissible built-up area of about 31,326 square metres as per FAR norms. The sanctioned layout envisaged no residential or commercial construction on the Wiztown plot. Instead, portions of the land were earmarked for sports or community facilities and open green spaces, an essential condition of the Sports City scheme.Delays, Dues and DeviationsDespite these approvals, investigators found that the Sports City project failed to progress within the prescribed timelines. Sports infrastructure and allied facilities, meant to be developed as a priority, remained largely incomplete. The lead developer later claimed that lease deeds for subdivided plots were not fully executed, preventing construction, a contention disputed by the Noida Authority.The CBI officials probing the case allege that several subsidiary companies, including Wiztown, were incorporated shortly before or during the allotment process and later transferred or sold without mandatory approvals. This, investigators suspect, may point to a larger design to commercially exploit land value escalation while diluting responsibility for building sports infrastructure.The agency is now examining whether Wiztown and similar entities were used as vehicles to fragment liabilities and facilitate unauthorised transfers, even as collective dues of the consortium, once pegged at over ₹1,200 crore, are estimated to have crossed ₹2,700 crore with accrued interest.A Death That Reopened Old FilesThe tragic death of Yuvraj Mehta brought renewed attention to long-standing warnings flagged by audit bodies and courts.A comprehensive audit conducted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) laid bare the scale of alleged irregularities in the Noida Sports City project.In its report tabled in September 2020, the CAG concluded that systemic lapses and violations caused a massive financial loss of nearly ₹9,000 crore to the Noida Authority and the Uttar Pradesh govt.The audit flagged glaring deficiencies at every stage, from allotment to implementation and development of the Sports City. It pointed out that the Noida Authority grossly mispriced the land earmarked for the project, resulting in huge revenue loss to the public exchequer. Contrary to the scheme brochure, which allowed subdivision only of residential and commercial components, the authority permitted subdivision of the entire Sports City plots, including land reserved exclusively for sports infrastructure.The CAG further noted that land parcels were allotted in violation of mandatory screening norms, ignoring bidders’ technical qualifications, turnover, and net worth. In a serious deviation, the lead consortium member with the highest financial stake was later ousted, and plots were distributed among multiple companies which, individually, did not meet eligibility criteria. The report also highlighted that the project brochure lacked clear specifications for sports facilities.The authority failed to recover instalments, lease rent, and transfer charges, issued fresh payment plans treating subsidiaries as new allottees, and even granted occupancy certificates in some cases without completion of sports facilities, providing undue and illegal benefits to developers.This CAG report became the basis for the HC order to hand over the case to the CBI.
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