Google's top ​India counsel, Bijoya Roy, ​has resigned after 16 months in ​the role, two sources said, a high-profile exit in a key market where the US tech giant is facing ‌regulatory hurdles ⁠and ⁠also lacks a government relations head.

India is crucial for ​Alphabet's Google since most smartphones in the country run on ​its Android operating system, even as Apple's share is growing steadily.

Google also faces antitrust cases ​in India, legal challenges over AI ⁠training and ‌stricter-than-ever content takedown regulations that ​started applying ​to tech companies from February.

Roy quit ⁠last month for personal reasons to start ​her own venture, said one of ​the sources on Thursday. The two sources declined to be named as the decision is not public.

Google did not respond to a request for comment, while Roy declined to comment.

Last ‌year, Google's head of public policy in India, Sreenivasa Reddy, quit, the second ​departure for ​that role ⁠in around two years. The company has still not filled the role.

In October, Google said it would invest $15 ​billion over five years to set up an artificial intelligence data centre in India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh, its biggest ever investment in the world's most populous nation.