Dubai-based Indian engineer found dead in Mangaluru two months after sister's NEET-linked death
Arjun R Mahesh, 24, an automobile engineer working in Dubai, was found dead in a Mangaluru hotel room on Monday. His sister Ayja, 19, died in June while preparing for the NEET re-examination.
Mariam Al Mansoori
Found dead in a Mangaluru hotel
A 24-year-old Indian expat from Dubai, whose younger sister died by suicide in June while preparing for the NEET re-examination, was found dead in a hotel room in Mangaluru, Karnataka, on Monday. The death is the second blow to the Kerala family in two months.
Mangaluru City Police confirmed to Gulf News that Arjun R Mahesh, an automobile engineer, was found dead at a hotel near Mangaluru International Airport. Police have said the hotel is in Maravoor. Reports indicate he had booked the room under the name "Arjun Radhika", using his mother's name. Bajpe police have registered a case and are examining hotel records and CCTV footage, according to Indian media reports.
A note to his mother
Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy told Indian media that a brief note was recovered from the room, where Arjun was found hanging. It began, "Amma (mother), I'm sorry", and asked that a couple of his friends be informed of his death, Reddy was quoted as saying by multiple news outlets.
Investigators believe Arjun had been struggling to cope with his sister's death and may have been under severe emotional distress. The exact circumstances are still being investigated.
His sister's death
Arjun's only sibling, Ayja R Mahesh, 19, was found hanging at her hostel in Pala, Kerala, on June 2. She was rushed to a private hospital and later moved to another facility, where she died on June 3, according to Indian media. Local reports have linked the hostel to a private NEET coaching centre in Cherpunkal, Pala. The family is from Mukkood in Pallikkara, Kasaragod district. Her mother is a tailor, and Arjun worked with Nissan in Dubai, according to reports.
Ayja had been preparing for the NEET re-examination, scheduled for June 21. The National Testing Agency (NTA) scrapped the original test after a question paper leak. That exam was held on May 3 for more than 2.27 million aspirants, and the NTA cancelled it on May 12 after investigators reportedly found significant overlaps between a pre-circulated guess paper and the actual question paper. On May 15, the agency announced the June 21 re-exam, promised fee refunds and said no fresh registration was needed.
Her mother had earlier said Ayja was confident of scoring well in the original exam but grew deeply distressed once it was cancelled. After the re-exam was announced, she returned to her hostel in Pala, telling her family she could not focus on her studies at home.
Arjun's final journey
Arjun travelled to Kerala after his sister's death and then returned to Dubai for work. According to relatives, he told close friends on Sunday that he was heading home, Onmanorama reported.
He flew to Mangaluru and called his mother around 1pm on Sunday, but did not mention that he had returned to India. Later that afternoon, friends in Dubai alerted the family that he was on his way home.
Relatives repeatedly tried to reach him, but his phone remained switched off. Family members and neighbours travelled to Mangaluru and asked police to help trace him. They searched several lodges through the night without success. He was found dead the following afternoon, reports said.
Wider context
ThePrint reported that at least 21 students had died by suicide in the aftermath of the NEET paper leak. It attributed the figure to multiple media reports and to claims by the Cockroach Janata Party, which protested the leak. The deaths have not been individually verified.
India's National Crime Records Bureau recorded 13,892 student suicides in 2023, or 8.1% of all suicides and the highest figure in 10 years. The count rose 72.9% between 2014 and 2023. Maharashtra reported the most cases, at 2,046.
Where to find support
Anyone struggling with thoughts of self-harm is urged to seek help by contacting a trusted friend or family member, or a mental health helpline. In the UAE, the national Mental Health Support Line can be reached free on 800 4673 (800 HOPE). Abu Dhabi's Estijaba helpline is 8001717, or +971 8001717 from abroad. It has been reported as open Sunday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.
