Kerala GST Addl Commissioner, His Family Found Dead At Home, Police Suspect Suicide

Manish Vijay, originally from Jharkhand, was serving as an Additional Commissioner under the Central Excise and Customs in the GST department.

Police discovered the bodies of Manish Vijay, his mother Shakuntala, and sister Shalini in a decomposed state.

Source : ABPLIVE AI

A bureaucrat, his mother, and his sister were found dead at their residence in the Kakkanad Customs Quarters in Kerala’s Ernakulam district. The police suspect it to be a case of suicide, officials said on Thursday.

The deceased officer, identified as Manish Vijay who also works as Additional Commissioner of Central Excise and GST and IRS officer, had been residing in the government quarters for the past 14 months. His colleagues grew concerned after he failed to return to work following a four-day leave. Upon visiting his residence, they detected a strong odor and immediately alerted the authorities, as per a report on NDTV.

Police discovered the bodies of Manish Vijay, his mother Shakuntala, and sister Shalini in a decomposed state. Investigators believe the deaths occurred several days prior. While preliminary findings suggest that Manish and Shalini died by suicide, the exact cause of Shakuntala’s death remains unclear and will be determined after a postmortem examination, as reported by The News Minute.

A diary recovered from the scene contained a note instructing their sibling, who resides abroad, to be informed of their deaths.

Kochi Police Commissioner Putta Vimaladitya stated that the bodies were several days old and they had already started to decay. He said that a suicide note was recovered and they were investigating all possible angles.

Authorities have registered an FIR, and forensic experts are examining the diary note and other evidence to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Manish Vijay, originally from Jharkhand, was serving as an Additional Commissioner under the Central Excise and Customs in the GST department. He had been on a week-long leave and was expected to resume duty when the bodies were found.

(If anyone faces mental health issues or knows anyone having suicidal feelings, they can seek emotional support with helpline numbers from suicide prevention organizations in the state. DISHA-1056)