Missing Tripura student Sneha Debnath found dead in Yamuna, suicide note recovered from Delhi hostel
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Tripura student, missing for six days, found dead in Yamuna; suicide note recovered from Delhi hostel
Tripura student, missing for six days, found dead in Yamuna; suicide note recovered from Delhi hostel. Sneha Debnath, a 19-year-old student from Tripura studying at Delhi University, was found dead. Her family discovered a handwritten note in her hostel room, where she wrote that she had decided to “end my life” by jumping from Signature Bridge. Her body was eventually discovered under Geeta Colony flyover in the Yamuna river and identified as Sneha by the authorities. Her death has sent shockwaves across the national capital and her home state, especially in light of a suicide note found by her family. The note has since been handed over to police and is now part of the official investigation into Sneha’s death. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), along with Delhi Police, carried out extensive searches across a 7-kilometre radius. Some eyewitnesses reportedly saw a girl standing on the bridge that morning, but no confirmed sightings followed.
New Delhi:
A week after 19-year-old Delhi University student Sneha Debnath went missing, her body was found under the Geeta Colony flyover in the Yamuna river on Sunday, marking a heartbreaking end to a search that had gripped two states and prompted an outpouring of public concern. Sneha, originally from Sabroom in Tripura, was a student of Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College and had moved to Delhi for higher education. Her death has sent shockwaves across the national capital and her home state, especially in light of a suicide note recovered by her family.
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Suicide note found in her room
In a tragic turn of events, Sneha’s family discovered a handwritten note in her hostel room, where she wrote that she had decided to “end my life” by jumping from Signature Bridge. “I just feel like a failure and burden, and it was getting unbearable to live like this,” the note read, adding, “There is no foul play. It was my decision.” The note has since been handed over to police and is now part of the official investigation.
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Timeline: Last seen on July 7
On the morning of July 7, Sneha told her mother she was going to drop her friend at Sarai Rohilla Railway Station for a 6:45 am train. Her last known contact was a phone call at 5:56 am. When the family tried to reach her again at 8:45 am, her phone was switched off.
Her family later discovered that her friend never met her that morning, and that Sneha instead took a cab to Signature Bridge, a known suicide spot where no CCTV cameras are functional, a critical gap that left investigators with little evidence in the early stages of search. The cab driver confirmed dropping her near the bridge. Technical surveillance also placed her last known location at the site.
Search efforts and discovery of the body
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), along with Delhi Police, carried out extensive searches across a 7-kilometre radius from Nigam Bodh Ghat to Noida. Some eyewitnesses reportedly saw a girl standing on the bridge that morning, but no confirmed sightings followed. Her body was eventually discovered under Geeta Colony flyover in the Yamuna river and identified as Sneha by the authorities.
FIR delay and family’s anguish
Sneha’s family, including her ailing father, a retired Army Subedar Major undergoing dialysis, expressed deep anguish over the delayed FIR, filed more than 48 hours after she was reported missing. They have also criticised the lack of functional CCTV cameras at Signature Bridge. “Had the cameras been working, we might have known what happened to our daughter,” their statement said.
Her family added that Sneha had not withdrawn any money in four months, had no belongings on her at the time, and had sent emotional emails and WhatsApp messages to close friends the same morning.
Public appeals and response from CM
Her family had posted emotional appeals on social media, seeking public support and government action. The incident drew attention from Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, who instructed state police to coordinate with Delhi authorities and assist in the search. The Tripura CMO had earlier posted on social media: “The report of Miss Sneha Debnath… has come to the notice of the Chief Minister’s Office. Necessary instructions have been issued to the police for immediate action.”
Not just a case, but a wake-up call
“This is not just about Sneha, but about the safety and dignity of every young woman in this city,” the family said in a public statement. “A 19-year-old college student vanishes from the national capital, and over 96 hours later, we are still in the dark.” They urged citizens to help prevent Sneha from becoming “just another missing person’s statistic,” and pleaded, “If anyone has any information, no matter how small, please come forward.”