On Friday morning, when the caretaker peeped through the window of Mandal’s room, he found him lying unconscious, he said.

Abhishek was then rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead, he added.

It is suspected Mandal died after consuming Celphos, a poisonous substance. A vial of the drug was recovered from his room by the police team, the CO said.

According to the records from the coaching institute Mandal had been studying in for a year, he was supposed to take the JEE Session-1 exam on January 29 but he did not appear for it, the DSP said.

The police have placed the body in a mortuary and a post-mortem will be conducted after the arrival of his parents from Bihar, he said.

This is the fifth case of suicide by a coaching student in Kota since January. The number of student suicides in Kota stood at 26 in 2023.

Suicide helpline: If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation – 04424640050, Tele Manas – 14416 (available 24×7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences’ helpline – 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm