NEW DELHI/AGARTALA, July 13 — A 19-year-old college student from Tripura, Sneha Debnath, has gone missing under mysterious circumstances in Delhi, prompting Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha to direct police for immediate and coordinated action.
Sneha, a resident of Sabroom in South Tripura district and a student at Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, Delhi University, was last in contact with her family on the morning of July 7. Her sudden disappearance has sparked concern both in Tripura and the national capital, leading to a joint search operation by the Delhi Police and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
“The report of Miss Sneha Debnath… 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,” the Tripura CMO stated on its official social media handle.
According to Sneha’s family, she told her mother early on July 7 that she would be accompanying a friend named Pitunia to the Sarai Rohilla Railway Station. Her last phone call was made at 5:56 am. Alarm bells rang when her phone was found switched off less than three hours later, and Pitunia confirmed that they had never met that morning.
The case took a worrying turn when a cab driver, traced by the family, revealed he had dropped Sneha near Delhi’s Signature Bridge — a location often flagged for safety concerns and lacking comprehensive CCTV surveillance. The absence of security footage in the vicinity has complicated efforts to retrace her steps.
On July 9, an extensive search was carried out within a seven-kilometre radius around the Signature Bridge area by the Crime Branch and NDRF. However, the operation did not yield any breakthroughs.
Family members have expressed growing anxiety over the lack of leads. “She didn’t take any belongings with her and hasn’t touched her bank account for the past four months,” a relative said, pointing to signs that the disappearance may not have been voluntary.
Authorities have issued a public appeal for information and are urging anyone who may have seen or spoken to Sneha to come forward. Her case remains under active investigation as search efforts intensify across Delhi.
The disappearance has sparked outrage and fear among student groups and the northeastern community in the capital, raising concerns over the safety of young women, especially students from out of state.
