Body of missing Tripura girl recovered from Delhi’s Yamuna River

The body of the missing 19-year-old girl, a college student, who went missing from New Delhi on July 7, was found on Sunday night, officials said in Agartala.

A senior police official said that the body of Sneha Debnath was recovered from the Yamuna River, and her family members identified the body. The official said that, as per the preliminary reports, the girl committed suicide by jumping into the Yamuna River.

“However, the Delhi police are conducting a full-fledged inquiry into the incident,” the official told.

Expressing his deep shock, Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha condoled the death and shared his condolences to the bereaved family. “The Chief Minister has ordered a detailed probe into the incident and asked the officials of Tripura Bhavan in New Delhi to extend all kinds of help to the family members of Sneha,” said an official of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

Senior Tripura Police officials are in constant touch with their Delhi counterparts in this regard, the official said, adding that further details are awaited.

The official earlier in the day said, “DGP (Director General of Police), Tripura, Anurag personally contacted the Special Commissioner of Delhi Police, requesting him to take steps to rescue the girl. The DGP is personally monitoring the case.”

Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, late on Saturday night, also instructed the police to take steps to rescue the girl. In a post on the X, the CMO Tripura said: “The report of Miss Sneha Debnath, a resident of Sabroom, who has reportedly gone missing in New Delhi, has come to the notice of the Chief Minister's Office. Following this, necessary instructions have been promptly issued to the police to take immediate and appropriate action.”

Local media reports said the girl had gone missing from North Delhi’s Wazirabad area on July 7.

A family member of Sneha Debnath, a resident of Bhuratali village in Sabroom in southern Tripura, lodged a complaint with the Mehrauli police station in Delhi on July 9.

Media reports quoting family sources said that Sneha had gone out of her home in Delhi’s Saket area on the morning of July 7 to receive her friend at the Sarai Rohilla Railway station. A cab driver dropped Sneha near Delhi's Signature Bridge, but after some time, her mobile was switched off.

Daughter of a Military man, Sneha has been studying mathematics at the Delhi University college. Sneha’s father, Pritthis Debanth, since his daughter's disappearance, regularly pursued the Delhi Police to rescue her daughter. He also sought the intervention of Tripura Chief Minister Saha, who also holds the Home portfolio, to take steps to rescue his daughter.

Sneha’s four-member family has been staying in Delhi for many years. Family members remain extremely concerned. She left home without any belongings and had not withdrawn money from the ATM in the past few months. Sneha’s bank account remains untouched so far.