Crime
Sneha Debnath, a 19-year-old student of Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, University of Delhi, was found dead, her body floating in the Yamuna River under the Geeta Colony bridge. Sneha had been missing since July 7, 2025, with her last known location being Signature Bridge near Majnu ka Tilla.
Sneha’s Missing Report
Sneha was scheduled to meet a friend and drop them off at Delhi Sarai Rohilla Railway Station on the morning of July 7. It is reported that she was dropped off at the Signature Bridge at around 5:30 a.m. by a cab driver. Her last phone call was made to her mother, Pinki Debnath, at 5:56 a.m. Sneha’s phone was switched off after 6 a.m.
At 10 a.m., Sneha’s parents, agitated by no response to their phone calls, reported her disappearance on the helpline and at PS Mehrauli.
“Sneha went missing in the early hours of 7th July. She had told her mother that she was going to drop her friend Pitunia at Sarai Rohilla Railway Station for a 6:45 a.m. train. Her mother’s last contact with her was at 5:56 a.m. When we called again at 8:45 a.m., her phone was found switched off. We later learned that Pitunia had not met Sneha that morning. Upon contacting the cab driver, we were horrified to discover that he had dropped her at Signature Bridge, a known critical spot where not a single CCTV camera is functional, creating a huge blind spot.” said Sneha’s family.
Copy of the FIR filed by Sneha’s parents.
Sloppy Initial Investigation By The Police
According to Sneha’s family, there was no documented police activity for 17.5 hours. No communication was initiated by the police with the family. It was on July 9 that the police started truly investigating the case and filed an FIR after recording her sister's statement. However, it was filed after 48 hours since the reported missing and were to be pressurised heavily to file an FIR. This latency raises concerns over the latency in the process and protocols.
Security Infrastructure Failure?
During the investigation, the police requested CCTV footage from the traffic police covering the Signature Bridge and its surrounding areas. However, to everyone's surprise, out of all the cameras installed on the bridge, only one was found to be functioning. This led the investigation nowhere and has raised serious concerns about the security infrastructure in Delhi
Retrieval of Sneha’s body
Sneha’s dead body was retrieved at 9 p.m. on July 13, 2025, 6 days after her disappearance, as a result of the joint search operation between the NDRF and the Delhi Police force. Upon further investigation the Delhi police found an alleged suicide note in Sneha’s room on the same day.
The Delhi police have claimed that this 'suicide note' states that Sneha was depressed and she felt like a burden.
On the contrary, Sneha’s parents and her sister have refuted these claims, stating that “Sneha is a bright, ambitious young woman, full of life and dreams.”
Read the public statement of Sneha’s Family!
Media Coverage
During the initial days of the investigation, the case received little to no media coverage. It was only after the case gained traction on social media platforms that news channels began reporting on it. This has raised serious questions about the role and responsibility of the media. Many pointed out on social media that the media tends to focus on cases with shock value or headline potential, leading to widespread criticism of the relevance and priorities of modern-day journalism.
Sneha's Mother and Sister.
Future of The Case
Although the Delhi police claims to have solid proof of Sneha’s suicidal thoughts, no proof or pieces of evidence have been made public by the police. This leaves us with many unanswered questions:
“ Was Sneha really suicidal?”
“ Is there something more to the story that is not being made public?”
“ Why did it take 6 days for the police to find Sneha’s dead body?”
“ Why did the police take no immediate action in the investigation?”
Sneha’s post-mortem reports are still in progress, which might answer some of these questions. However, this case has stirred the much-needed debates on women's security and the mental well-being of young adults.
Members Discussion