Missing Tripura girl’s body found in Delhi; CM, Tipra Motha chief condole death

New Delhi/Agartala, July 14: The six-day-long search for 19-year-old Sneha Debnath, a student of Delhi University hailing from Tripura, ended on Sunday with the recovery of her body from the Yamuna River in East Delhi.

Police said that her family has confirmed the identity and the body have been sent for post-mortem to ascertain the exact cause of death.

According to the police, Sneha had left behind a handwritten note reportedly linking her suicide to personal distress related to family matters.

Technical surveillance placed her last known location at the Signature Bridge in North Delhi’s Majnu Ka Tila area. Her body was later found near a flyover in Geeta Colony, approximately 10 kilometres downstream from the bridge.

The discovery has sent ripples of sorrow across Tripura, prompting Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha to offer his condolences to Sneha’s family.

In a statement, the Chief Minister said the state government would extend all possible assistance.

He also directed Tripura Bhawan officials in Delhi to remain in close contact with the grieving family and authorities overseeing the investigation.

Tipra Motha founder and royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarman also conveyed his deepest sympathies, urging people to refrain from speculation and respect the family’s grief during this difficult time.

Sneha was a second-year student at Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, Delhi University. Her family described her as a bright, determined young woman.

She was the daughter of Subedar Major Honorary Lieutenant Pritish Debnath (retired), who is currently undergoing dialysis for chronic kidney failure.

According to the family, Sneha left home in the early hours of July 7, informing her mother she was accompanying a friend named Pitunia to Sarai Rohilla Railway Station for a 6:45 am train.

Her last known contact with her mother was at 5:56 am. By 8:45 am, her phone had been switched off.

Suspicions arose when the family learned that Pitunia never met Sneha that morning. A call to the cab driver revealed that Sneha was dropped off at the Signature Bridge—an area the family flagged as a critical blind spot due to non-functional CCTV cameras.

Despite a 7-kilometre radius search by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on July 9, conducted at the request of the Delhi Police Crime Branch, no clues had emerged until the discovery of her body on Sunday.

The family has raised several concerns about the delay in lodging a First Information Report (FIR), which was reportedly filed over 48 hours after Sneha went missing.

They also pointed out that she had carried no cash or belongings apart from her mobile phone, and her bank account remained untouched for months.

In a statement, the family stressed that working CCTV infrastructure could have offered vital leads in the case and called for urgent attention to such lapses in public safety.