KOCHI: Police are probing whether the deaths of Central GST additional commissioner Maneesh Vijay, his mother and his sister in Kochi are in any way connected to the 2006 Jharkhand PSC (JPSC) exam scam. The postmortems are scheduled for Saturday.
It was on Thursday evening that Maneesh, from Ranchi, his sister Shalini Vijay and mother Shakunthala Agarwal were found dead at their central excise and customs independent quarters near the TV Centre at Echamuku, Thrikkakara.
An Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, Maneesh had been working as an additional commissioner (audit) at the Central Excise and GST office in Kacheripady. Maneesh and Shalini were found hanging in separate rooms. Shakunthala was found lying in the bedroom. The bodies had started decomposing.
After the inquest, the remains were shifted to Ernakulam Medical College and Ernakulam General Hospital.
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.
Thrikakkara 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,” Thrikkakara assistant commissioner P V Baby said.
Police are in touch with 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. Officers received information that Maneesh had purchased flowers on February 14. The court summons was received on February 13.
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 said.
Police are also examining the possibility that Shakunthala died first. Her body was found wrapped in a white cloth, overlaid with flowers. A family photo was also on the bed where her body was found.
“Maneesh and Shalini may have ended their lives out of depression brought on by their mother’s death. The postmortem will confirm the cause of Shakunthala’s death,” an officer said.
The postmortem procedure was delayed as police awaited the arrival of Maneesh’s younger sister. The sibling arrived in Kochi on Friday evening.
Maneesh was a 2011 batch IRS officer who served in the Customs and GST departments under various capacities. Shakunthala was a college lecturer in Bokaro Steel City. Shalini had received her appointment letter as deputy collector from then Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munde.
Maneesh’s diary entry
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 further said that all the family property should also be handed over to the younger sibling
