On the morning of July 7, 19-year-old Sneha Debnath made a short phone call to her mother. She said she was heading to Sarai Rohilla railway station with a friend. That was the last her family heard from her, Hindustan Times reported.
Hours later, her phone was found switched off. The friend she mentioned, identified only as Pitunia, later told police that the two never met that day.
According to the report, a cab driver confirmed dropping Sneha near Signature Bridge, a location often associated with suicide attempts. However, CCTV cameras in the area were reportedly not functioning, leaving no way to trace her movements further.
Six days after she went missing, Sneha’s body was recovered from the Yamuna River near the Geeta Colony flyover on Sunday evening.
Originally from Tripura, Sneha had moved to Delhi for her undergraduate studies and was pursuing mathematics at Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College under Delhi University. She was living in the Paryavaran Complex in South Delhi.
Police said they found a handwritten note in her room, which suggested suicidal intent. After her family reported her missing, a search operation was launched with help from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), drones, and river divers. Eyewitnesses also reportedly saw a girl standing alone on the Signature Bridge the same morning she disappeared.
Her family has criticised the lack of surveillance infrastructure in the area. “This is a known suicide spot, and yet there’s no CCTV footage,” a family friend told Hindustan Times. They also blamed jurisdictional confusion for delays in the search.
A police officer quoted in the report said the investigation is still underway. Authorities are also reviewing surveillance systems at high-risk public locations like the Signature Bridge.
Sneha’s death has left her college community shocked and raised broader concerns about student mental health and safety protocols in educational spaces.
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