MYSURU/ MADIKERI: Unable to bear the fallout of a troublesome hair-straightening experiment, a BBA student from Mysuru allegedly jumped into a river and killed herself. Police have registered a case against the local beauty parlour after her parents lodged a complaint.
Neha Gangamma, the only daughter of Pemmaiah and Shyla, had recently got her hair straightened at a beauty parlour in Mysuru. Soon after, she suffered excessive hair fall and feared she would go completely bald. "She called me and said she did not want to attend college any more as her hair was growing thinner by the day," Neha's mother said. "She said her skin too showed signs of allergy following the hair treatment. She was worried that her classmates would ask her uncomfortable questions. She told me she would not go to college for a year and that she would go bald after donating hair at Dharmasthala."
Neha was reported missing from Mysuru, where she lived as a paying guest, since August 28. Police said she left her PG accommodation in Gokulum but did not attend college. When she did not return either, the PG owner informed her parents. Her parents, who live in Balele village in Kodagu, filled a missing report at Jayalakshmipuram police station in Mysuru. Her body was recovered on September 1 from the Lakshmana Theertha river near Balele. She is believed to have jumped into the river on August 28. Her parents identified the body from the ring she was wearing.
"We have collected all samples required for probe, including hair samples. These will be sent to Mysuru and Bengaluru forensic laboratories," a police officer said. "Her parents have lodged a complaint saying the chemical used for the hair treatment caused problems."