KOCHI: Police are investigating two leads in the case involving Manish Vijay (43), a Jharkhand native and the Additional Commissioner of Central GST and Customs Audit Commissionerate, along with his sister Shalini (51) and mother Shakuntala Agarwal (82), who were found dead under mysterious circumstances in the customs quarters. Manish's sister Shalini is an accused in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examination cheating case. They were summoned earlier this month to appear in the trial court on February 15. Police believe that this may have led to the deaths of the brothers and their mother, Shakuntala Agarwal.

In 2006, Shalini secured first rank in the State Administrative Services Examination conducted by JPSC and took charge as Additional Collector. It was found that there was a fraud in this examination, and the CBI filed a charge sheet against Shalini as an accused. It is suspected that they committed suicide on the day they were supposed to appear in the trial court. A senior police officer said that the death might have happened on the 15th after an analysis of the dead body. The police are not ruling out the possibility of suicide due to the shock of their mother's death.

The bodies of the three were found yesterday in the villa-style flat in the Central Excise Quarters on Kakkanad-Padamugal Road. Manish and Shalini were found hanging in two rooms, while Shakuntala's body was found covered in white blankets and flowers scattered on the bed. More clarity on this matter will come only after the postmortem report is received. Manish had applied for four days' leave to go to Jharkhand in connection with his sister's case. He was found dead after an investigation was conducted after he did not return to work even after his leave ended.

Manish Vijay arrived in Kakkanad a year and a half ago. It has been only three months since his mother and sister came to Kerala. The police have recovered a diary from a room in the house. The officials are examining the information in it. A note written in Hindi found near the body asks to inform their younger sister Priya of the information and hand over the property. She is abroad. The inquest will be held in their presence on Saturday. The postmortem will also be conducted later. The bodies of Shalini and Shakuntala are kept at Kalamassery Government Medical College, and Manish's is at the Ernakulam General Hospital mortuary.