The body of 19-year-old Sneha Debnath, a Delhi University student missing for nearly a week, was recovered from the Yamuna River near the Geeta Colony flyover in north Delhi on Sunday evening, the Delhi Police confirmed.
Debnath, originally from Tripura and a resident of Paryavaran Complex in south Delhi, was a student at Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College under Delhi University. She had been missing since July 7, when she last spoke to her family around 5:56 am, informing them that she was on her way to Sarai Rohilla railway station with a friend.
Soon after the call, her phone was switched off. When her family attempted to contact her friend, Pitunia, they were told the two had not met that day. Alarmed, the family launched a frantic search and campaign on social media to trace her whereabouts.
Investigators later learned from a cab driver that Sneha had instead gone to the Signature Bridge in north Delhi. However, no CCTV footage was available to confirm what happened next. A handwritten note left by Sneha suggested she had planned to jump off the bridge, police said.
A search operation involving the Delhi Police and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was launched in the Yamuna river near the Signature Bridge on July 9 but initially yielded no results.
On Sunday, Sneha’s body was found floating near the Geeta Colony flyover and was later identified by her family. The body has been sent for post-mortem to determine the exact cause of death.
Earlier in the day, the office of Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha acknowledged the incident and said instructions had been issued to Delhi Police to take immediate and appropriate action in the case.
The investigation remains ongoing.
