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.
#WATCH | Kerala: Putta Vimaladitya, Commissioner of Police, Kochi, says, “On 20th of February, we found three bodies in the quarters of Customs. One customs officer, along with his sister and the mother, were found dead. So a natural death case has been registered with regard to… pic.twitter.com/zRi5hUz9uA
— ANI (@ANI) February 22, 2025
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.
