Mystery surrounds deaths of Customs officer from Jharkhand, family in Kochi quarters

Kochi: A mysterious incident on Thursday evening left the residents of Kochi shaken – the discovery of the decaying bodies of a senior Customs officer belonging to Jharkhand, his younger sister and their mother in his official quarters. The deceased are Manish Vijay (42), an Additional Commissioner at the Central Tax Excise and Customs Office at Kacheripady in Kochi, his sister Shalini Vijay (35) and their mother Shakuntala Agarwal (80).

Their bodies were found in house number 114 at Central Excise Quarters in Eachamukku, Kakkanad. Manish was hanging in a room on the right side of the hall, Shalini’s body was also hanging in a room at the back of the house, and Shakuntala was found dead in a room on the left side of the house with her body covered with a sheet, over which flowers were strewn. The police also recovered a diary with entries in Hindi from Manish’s room.

Though the first information report (FIR) prepared by the Thrikkakara police says the Customs officer and his family took their own life following certain setbacks in life, several questions remain unanswered.

A police officer said investigators would be examining whether the unmarried siblings committed suicide after the death of their mother and also into the possibilities of the family facing any undisclosed troubles. The police have received unconfirmed reports that Shakuntala was a college teacher and Shalini cleared a Jharkhand Public Service Commission (PSC) exam with a top rank.

Manish has been stationed in Kerala for many years, working in the preventive section of the Customs in Kochi and Kozhikode, and he was transferred to Kochi one-and-a-half years ago. His mother and sister joined him in Kochi four months ago.

On all working days, Manish’s official car arrived at his quarters in the morning to take him to the office, and in the evening, he returned home in the same vehicle. Neighbours said that neither Manish’s sister nor his mother maintained any contact with them. However, the mother was often seen on a chair outside the quarters, they added. Incidentally, Manish’s house is located in an isolated corner of the Central Excise Quarters, due to which other residents did not learn about the deaths for several days.

A few children, who were playing near Manish’s house, had checked the premises on noticing a foul smell. However, on finding the house locked and all windows closed, they felt that the odour came from a garbage heap nearby.

Manish had availed a week’s leave for travelling to Jharkhand for some purpose related to his sister. However, the three were found dead 10 days later, when his colleagues arrived at the quarters as he did not report for duty even three days after the expiry of his leave, and calls to his mobile went unattended.

Meanwhile, the police have also received information that Manish has another sister, who lives abroad, and his diary mentions that she should be informed about the deaths.

The police officer said that the probe is currently focused on the cause of the mother’s death. There are also indications that Shalini’s appointment with Jharkhand PSC was mired in controversy.

At the same time, the family did not face any financial problems, said the police. “We have to find out the real reasons for the deaths if they committed suicide,” said the officer. He also said that Manish did not travel to Jharkhand for his sister’s issue.

“The deaths occurred 4-5 days ago. The bodies will be shifted to Kalamassery Medical College and we have to wait for the autopsy reports to ascertain the cause of the death, particularly that of the mother,” said the officer.