New Delhi: The mysterious disappearance of 19-year-old Sneha Debnath, a student from Tripura studying in Delhi, has gripped both her hometown and the national capital in anxiety and concern. Over a week since she went missing, authorities remain clueless about her whereabouts, as unsettling details continue to emerge.
Sneha, a resident of Sabroom in Tripura and a student at Delhi University’s Atma Ram Sanatana Dharma College, last spoke to her family on the morning of July 7. During the brief conversation around 5:56 AM, she informed them that she was accompanying a friend, Pitunia, to Sarai Rohilla railway station. That would be the last time anyone heard from her.
By 8:45 AM, Sneha’s phone was switched off. When her worried family tried contacting Pitunia, they were told that the two never met as planned. This triggered a frantic search effort, leading the family to track down a cab driver who revealed that Sneha was dropped near Delhi’s Signature Bridge — a location notorious for its poor CCTV coverage and patchy surveillance.
No Belongings, No Bank Activity: A Worrying Clue
Adding to the mystery, Sneha’s family disclosed that she had left without carrying any personal belongings. Even more alarming was the revelation that her bank account hasn’t registered a single transaction for the last four months. This unsettling fact has left both the police and her family questioning how Sneha was managing her living expenses in the city.
On July 9, the Delhi Police Crime Branch and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) launched a large-scale search operation within a 7-kilometre radius of her last known location. But the absence of CCTV footage and credible leads has made tracking her movements nearly impossible. Despite five days of intensive search operations, officials have found no trace.
Tripura Chief Minister Steps In
The matter soon caught the attention of Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, who directed state police and coordinated with Delhi authorities to expedite the investigation. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) confirmed the intervention, stating that “necessary instructions have been promptly issued to the police to take immediate and appropriate action.”
Public Appeal Issued
As the investigation stretches on, authorities have appealed to the public for any information that could assist in tracing Sneha’s whereabouts. The disturbing lack of clues and unanswered questions surrounding her disappearance have heightened fears over the safety of young women living alone in metro cities.
The case remains under active investigation.