NEET irregularities and sister's death; Malayali Arjun found hanging in Mangaluru lodge

KASARAGOD: Arjun Mahesh (24), a resident of Kadambari House, Pallikkara, Poochakkad, was found dead in a lodge room in Mangaluru. Arjun is the brother of Aija R Mahesh, the 19-year-old NEET aspirant from Kasaragod who died by suicide on June 3, 2026. Arjun, who had returned from the Gulf, was found hanging in his lodge room in Mangaluru on Monday afternoon.

After completing Aija's post-mortem ceremonies, Arjun went to Sharjah 25 days ago for a work-related purpose. Last day, Arjun told his family that he landed at the Mangaluru airport. The family tried contacting him but to no avail and was thus forced to seek help from Bekal police. When an investigation was conducted with the help of the cyber cell, the location was shown as Mangaluru. However, the phone was switched off. It was reported that he was found hanging in the lodge room in the afternoon. The Bekal police reached the spot in the evening and took further action.

Aija R. Mahesh, a native of Poochakad, was the only Malayali student who committed suicide after the cancellation of the NEET exam. Aija was found hanging in the hostel of the Pala Brilliance Coaching Centre on June 2. Arjun was under severe mental stress after his sister's death.

Arjun is the son of Mahesh, a retired Sales Tax officer, and Radhika, a tailoring shop owner.