Let the starting point be at the origin.
Maheep moves 17 m East, so his position is at (17, 0).
He turns left (now facing North) and moves 12 m. His position is now at (17, 12).
He turns left again (now facing West) and moves 12 m. His position is now at (17 - 12, 12) = (5, 12).
The distance from the starting point (0, 0) to final position (5, 12) is:
d=(5−0)2+(12−0)2
d=25+144
d=169
d=13
Therefore, Maheep is 13 m from the starting point.