Delhi biker's parents waited with anniversary cake, later saw son's wrapped body
Kamal's parents waited all night for their wedding anniversary with a cake at their Delhi home. Hours later, they were handed their son's body.
At midnight, a cake lay uncut on a dining table in West Delhi. Candles remained unlit. Plates were never laid out.
Instead of celebrating their wedding anniversary, Kamal Dhyani’s parents spent the night walking through empty streets, knocking on police station doors, and calling out their son’s name, unaware that he would never return home.
Kamal, a 25-year-old call centre employee, had called his twin brother Karan at 12.50 am on Friday. He said he would be home in 15 minutes.
That was the last time his family heard his voice.
“He told our mother to make chapatis. He said he was reaching home,” Karan recalled, his voice breaking. “We were waiting to cut the cake at midnight. Instead, we were searching for him all night.”
When Kamal did not arrive even after half an hour and stopped answering calls, panic set in. The family rushed out into the night. First to his office, then to nearby police stations, hoping each turn would bring them closer to answers.
None did.
By morning, the police called.
Kamal had been found dead.
His body, with his helmet still on, and his mud-smeared motorcycle were discovered inside a 15-foot-deep pit dug for a sewer pipeline rehabilitation project by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) in Janakpuri. He had allegedly fallen into the trench while riding home.
The bike he was riding was a birthday gift. He bought with his own savings.
“He loved that motorcycle,” said Mayank, his childhood friend. “He bought it in 2024 and was so proud of it. He took it everywhere. He was simple, hardworking, and never fought with anyone. He worked hard to fulfil his dreams.”
For Kamal’s family, the news arrived like a storm.
“We told our mother much later,” Karan said. “She wouldn’t have survived hearing it suddenly. Our father had been searching all night. In the morning, he had to see his son’s body wrapped in a bag.”
The celebration that was meant to mark another year of marriage turned into the darkest day of their lives.
A NIGHT OF SEARCHING, A MORNING OF LOSS
After Kamal failed to return home, his family first went to his workplace - a call centre linked to a private bank in Rohini. His manager told them Kamal had already left.
“He should have reached home by now,” they were told.
The manager joined the search.
Together, they went from police station to police station, from one deserted road to another, hoping to spot his motorcycle, hoping to hear his phone ring.
Hours passed.
No answers came.
Their search ended only after dawn, when police informed them that Kamal had been found inside an open trench.
By then, hope had already faded.
'COMPLETELY DARK, NO BARRICADES': WHAT LOCALS SAY
Residents and workers along the Janakpuri stretch say the accident was waiting to happen.
According to them, the road where Kamal fell had been dug up recently, but without adequate safety arrangements.
“There are no streetlights for nearly a 100-metre stretch from the traffic signal up to the spot,” said Sandeep, manager of a local cafe. “Only one light stands near the residential lane. The rest is dark.”
He added that while barricades had been placed near the traffic signal, the trench itself remained unsecured.
“There were no barricades, no safety nets, not even the green mesh fencing,” he said.
Uma, a local resident, said the road had been blocked in phases, confusing commuters.
“First they closed one side, then the other. People try to pass through narrow gaps. For two months, there has been no proper passage,” she said.
“There are no streetlights. It’s completely dark. I have to cross this road to go to the temple. It’s very difficult.”
Ritu Saluja, another resident, said the trench had been dug just a day before the incident.
“Until yesterday evening, there were no barricades. This is the only way in and out of our block. There’s no alternate route,” she said.
Her husband, Yogendra Saluja, added that children and elderly residents were struggling to navigate the stretch.
“The traffic has increased. Crossing the road is difficult. Earlier trenches were barricaded properly. This one wasn’t,” he said.
Many locals said uneven patches, potholes and poor lighting made riding especially dangerous at night.
After sunset, they said, the stretch became almost invisible.
A LIFE OF QUIET DREAMS
Kamal lived with his parents and brothers in Kailashpuri. His father and elder brother are priests. Karan, his twin, is preparing for the Chartered Accountant examination. His mother is a homemaker.
Friends describe Kamal as soft-spoken, diligent and focused on building a better future.
“He worked hard for his family,” his manager said. “He was sincere and never complained.”
Mayank said Kamal rarely spent on himself.
“He saved money. He had dreams. He wanted to do well, take care of his parents. That was his priority.”
Those dreams ended on a road that residents say was unsafe, dark and neglected.
QUESTIONS, DEMANDS AND ACCOUNTABILITY
The family has demanded access to CCTV footage from the area to reconstruct what happened in Kamal’s final moments.
“We want clarity,” Karan said. “We don’t want this to happen to anyone else. We want a fast-tracked investigation.”
They have alleged gross negligence by authorities, including the DJB and the police.
Police have registered an FIR under charges of culpable homicide against the contractor and concerned DJB officials. Three DJB engineers have been suspended.
AAP’s Delhi joint secretary Sakshi Bansal said the condition of the Janakpuri–Uttam Nagar stretch had been deteriorating for months.
“There are multiple schools here. Children travel daily. Uneven roads, lack of lights and barricades have made life difficult,” she said.
She added that recently installed streetlights stopped functioning within days.
A HOUSE THAT WILL NEVER BE THE SAME
At Kamal’s home, the cake has been removed. The decorations were never put up. The anniversary passed in silence.
A chair at the dining table remains empty.
A damaged motorcycle stands unused.
And a family that waited for 15 minutes now waits forever.
“We never imagined this,” Karan said quietly. “We were planning a celebration. We lost him instead.”
On a dark, unguarded road, a young man’s journey home ended, leaving behind unanswered questions, a grieving family, and a reminder of how negligence can turn ordinary nights into lifelong tragedies.
At midnight, a cake lay uncut on a dining table in West Delhi. Candles remained unlit. Plates were never laid out.
Instead of celebrating their wedding anniversary, Kamal Dhyani’s parents spent the night walking through empty streets, knocking on police station doors, and calling out their son’s name, unaware that he would never return home.
Kamal, a 25-year-old call centre employee, had called his twin brother Karan at 12.50 am on Friday. He said he would be home in 15 minutes.
That was the last time his family heard his voice.
“He told our mother to make chapatis. He said he was reaching home,” Karan recalled, his voice breaking. “We were waiting to cut the cake at midnight. Instead, we were searching for him all night.”
When Kamal did not arrive even after half an hour and stopped answering calls, panic set in. The family rushed out into the night. First to his office, then to nearby police stations, hoping each turn would bring them closer to answers.
None did.
By morning, the police called.
Kamal had been found dead.
His body, with his helmet still on, and his mud-smeared motorcycle were discovered inside a 15-foot-deep pit dug for a sewer pipeline rehabilitation project by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) in Janakpuri. He had allegedly fallen into the trench while riding home.
The bike he was riding was a birthday gift. He bought with his own savings.
“He loved that motorcycle,” said Mayank, his childhood friend. “He bought it in 2024 and was so proud of it. He took it everywhere. He was simple, hardworking, and never fought with anyone. He worked hard to fulfil his dreams.”
For Kamal’s family, the news arrived like a storm.
“We told our mother much later,” Karan said. “She wouldn’t have survived hearing it suddenly. Our father had been searching all night. In the morning, he had to see his son’s body wrapped in a bag.”
The celebration that was meant to mark another year of marriage turned into the darkest day of their lives.
A NIGHT OF SEARCHING, A MORNING OF LOSS
After Kamal failed to return home, his family first went to his workplace - a call centre linked to a private bank in Rohini. His manager told them Kamal had already left.
“He should have reached home by now,” they were told.
The manager joined the search.
Together, they went from police station to police station, from one deserted road to another, hoping to spot his motorcycle, hoping to hear his phone ring.
Hours passed.
No answers came.
Their search ended only after dawn, when police informed them that Kamal had been found inside an open trench.
By then, hope had already faded.
'COMPLETELY DARK, NO BARRICADES': WHAT LOCALS SAY
Residents and workers along the Janakpuri stretch say the accident was waiting to happen.
According to them, the road where Kamal fell had been dug up recently, but without adequate safety arrangements.
“There are no streetlights for nearly a 100-metre stretch from the traffic signal up to the spot,” said Sandeep, manager of a local cafe. “Only one light stands near the residential lane. The rest is dark.”
He added that while barricades had been placed near the traffic signal, the trench itself remained unsecured.
“There were no barricades, no safety nets, not even the green mesh fencing,” he said.
Uma, a local resident, said the road had been blocked in phases, confusing commuters.
“First they closed one side, then the other. People try to pass through narrow gaps. For two months, there has been no proper passage,” she said.
“There are no streetlights. It’s completely dark. I have to cross this road to go to the temple. It’s very difficult.”
Ritu Saluja, another resident, said the trench had been dug just a day before the incident.
“Until yesterday evening, there were no barricades. This is the only way in and out of our block. There’s no alternate route,” she said.
Her husband, Yogendra Saluja, added that children and elderly residents were struggling to navigate the stretch.
“The traffic has increased. Crossing the road is difficult. Earlier trenches were barricaded properly. This one wasn’t,” he said.
Many locals said uneven patches, potholes and poor lighting made riding especially dangerous at night.
After sunset, they said, the stretch became almost invisible.
A LIFE OF QUIET DREAMS
Kamal lived with his parents and brothers in Kailashpuri. His father and elder brother are priests. Karan, his twin, is preparing for the Chartered Accountant examination. His mother is a homemaker.
Friends describe Kamal as soft-spoken, diligent and focused on building a better future.
“He worked hard for his family,” his manager said. “He was sincere and never complained.”
Mayank said Kamal rarely spent on himself.
“He saved money. He had dreams. He wanted to do well, take care of his parents. That was his priority.”
Those dreams ended on a road that residents say was unsafe, dark and neglected.
QUESTIONS, DEMANDS AND ACCOUNTABILITY
The family has demanded access to CCTV footage from the area to reconstruct what happened in Kamal’s final moments.
“We want clarity,” Karan said. “We don’t want this to happen to anyone else. We want a fast-tracked investigation.”
They have alleged gross negligence by authorities, including the DJB and the police.
Police have registered an FIR under charges of culpable homicide against the contractor and concerned DJB officials. Three DJB engineers have been suspended.
AAP’s Delhi joint secretary Sakshi Bansal said the condition of the Janakpuri–Uttam Nagar stretch had been deteriorating for months.
“There are multiple schools here. Children travel daily. Uneven roads, lack of lights and barricades have made life difficult,” she said.
She added that recently installed streetlights stopped functioning within days.
A HOUSE THAT WILL NEVER BE THE SAME
At Kamal’s home, the cake has been removed. The decorations were never put up. The anniversary passed in silence.
A chair at the dining table remains empty.
A damaged motorcycle stands unused.
And a family that waited for 15 minutes now waits forever.
“We never imagined this,” Karan said quietly. “We were planning a celebration. We lost him instead.”
On a dark, unguarded road, a young man’s journey home ended, leaving behind unanswered questions, a grieving family, and a reminder of how negligence can turn ordinary nights into lifelong tragedies.