Thiruvananthapuram: Mystery surrounds the death of Central GST additional commissioner Maneesh Vijay, his mother Shakuntala and his sister Shalini in Kochi. Their decomposed bodies were found in Maneesh’s flat.
An Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, Maneesh had been working as an additional commissioner (audit) at the Central Excise and GST office in Kochi. Maneesh and Shalini were found hanging in separate rooms. Shakunthala was found lying in the bedroom.
The police are now probing if the deaths were in any way linked to the 2006 Jharkhand PSC (JPSC) exam scam.
The police, who registered a case of unnatural death, later found that Shalini had topped the JPSC exam in 2006. And, she had been appointed sub-collector.
“However, following the scam, which led to a CBI investigation, the entire batch of officers lost their jobs. We came to know that along with people who received appointments, Shalini was named an accused. Recently, she had received summons to appear at a court in Ranchi on February 15. Maneesh had been on leave since February 13. He informed colleagues that he would be travelling to Ranchi in connection with Shalini’s case,” Assistant Commissioner P V Baby was quoted in the media.
The police in Kerala are now reportedly in touch with the Jharkhand police and CBI for more information on the case against Shalini. The family background is being cross-checked with the help of Jharkhand police.
According to the investigating officers, Maneesh had purchased flowers on February 14. The court summons was received on February 13. The flowers and a garland were found around the mother’s body which was covered in a white cloth, indicating that she died first and later Maneesh and his sister took their lives. A family photo was also on the bed where her body was found.
“Maneesh and Shalini may also have ended their lives out of depression brought on by their mother’s sudden death. The postmortem will confirm the cause of Shakunthala’s death,” an officer said. All angles are being probed, the police said.
All three are suspected to have died on May 15. “Considering the state of decomposition, we suspect that the deaths took place at least five days ago,” an officer was quoted in the media.
The postmortem procedure was delayed as police awaited the arrival of Maneesh’s younger sister from abroad.
An entry addressed to police was found in a diary maintained by Maneesh. It said the bodies should be handed over to his younger sister, who is abroad. It also said all the family property should be handed over to the younger sibling. The note further said that all the family property should also be handed over to the younger sibling
