Delhi University student from Tripura found dead after going missing for 6 days: What happened to Sneha Debnath?

Nineteen-year-old Sneha Debnath, a Delhi University student originally from Tripura, had been missing since July 7. Nearly a week later, her body was found in the Yamuna River near the Geeta Colony flyover in Delhi.

Her sudden disappearance sparked panic back home, with her family launching a frantic search and reaching out to authorities last week.

The case had quickly drawn attention, prompting the Tripura Chief Minister’s office to step in and coordinate with Delhi Police and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for a full-scale search operation.

Investigators eventually traced Sneha’s last known location to Delhi’s Signature Bridge, a spot that has long raised safety concerns and is known for poor CCTV coverage. Officials confirmed that she had died by suicide.

What led to this tragic end? Here’s what we know so far.

‘Feel like a failure’

As the search for Sneha intensified, her family came across a handwritten note in her room, one that revealed she had planned to take her own life.

Written in her own handwriting, the note read: “I just feel like a failure and burden and it was getting unbearable to live like this,” as reported by NDTV. She went on to say, “I had decided to end my life by jumping from Signature Bridge,” and made it clear there was “no foul play,” adding that the decision was entirely her own.

According to police sources, Sneha’s distress didn’t appear to be related to academic pressure. Instead, investigators believe it may have stemmed from issues within her family.

In the early hours of July 7, Sneha reportedly sent emails and messages to a few close friends. Those who spoke to investigators said she had been struggling emotionally for the past few months.

Her family, in shock, told authorities she left home without any of her belongings and hadn’t withdrawn money in the past four months. Her bank account remained untouched, raising questions about how she had been managing day-to-day expenses while living in Delhi.

A final call back home

Sneha, a student of Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College under Delhi University, last called home early on July 7.

According to The Times of India, she told her mother that she was going to Sarai Rohilla Railway Station with a friend named Pitunia. That final call came in at 5:56 am.

Less than three hours later, by 8:45 am, her phone was switched off. Her friend Pitunia later confirmed that the meeting never happened—they didn’t see each other that day.

As the search intensified, her family managed to trace the cab driver who had dropped her near the Signature Bridge on the morning she vanished. But the lack of CCTV coverage in the area slowed down efforts to locate her.

“The cab driver who dropped her at the site has corroborated the statement. Some eyewitnesses said they saw a girl standing on the bridge and later disappearing from the spot,” the Delhi Police said in a statement.

Tripura CM steps in; search operation expands

As the case gained attention, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha took notice. A statement from his office read, “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, a search operation was launched with help from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and local police teams. Authorities scanned the stretch between Delhi’s Nigam Bodh Ghat and Noida in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.

On July 13, Sneha’s body was found in the Yamuna River near the Geeta Colony flyover, around 10 kilometres downstream from the Signature Bridge.

Her body has been sent for a post-mortem examination.

With input from agencies