Body of customs officer fished out of Taloja pond

The body of a customs superintendent, Mayank P Singh, was found in a pond near Taloja jail. Singh left a suicide note blaming colleagues for harassment. He was accused of accepting payments to release goods without levying penalties. An FIR was registered against him on August 21.

Navi Mumbai: The body of a superintendent of customs, Mayank P Singh, 38, was fished out from a pond near the Taloja jail on Friday, police officials said.

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“The police found his car parked nearby the pond,” assistant commissioner of police (Kharghar division) Ashok Rajput said. “There was a mobile phone in the car, which had some missed calls. We called back the numbers, which helped us identify the victim. The body has been handed over to the relatives for the last rites.”

According to the police, there was a suicide note inside the car wherein Singh blamed some of his colleagues and a few others for harassment. The Kharghar police have registered a case of accidental death report.

Singh used to stay alone at Valley Ship Society in sector 36, Kharghar, while his family stayed in Delhi, a police officer said, adding, “Singh has accused some of the persons of forcing him to release import consignments in the customs bond warehouse without levying any penalty. Meanwhile, for this act, he was booked by the CBI in the graft case. Singh was posted at Jawaharlal Nehru Customs House (JNCH) at Nhava Sheva.”

Singh, the then superintendent of customs, was accused of accepting payments from two firms – Shree Marketing, Thane and Shree Sai Snehal Import and Export Pvt Ltd, Goregaon – to deliver their goods, which were kept on hold due to non-payment of redemption penalties worth ₹14.5 lakh. Redemption fines refer to the option given by the adjudicating authority to the person whose goods are confiscated to pay a fine instead of confiscation.

After a surprise check by the CBI at JNCH, it was found that there were no documents supporting the release of the goods in which the fine had to be paid, following which an FIR was registered on August 21, and on August 23, a house search was done. “We are going through Singh’s mobile phone and other documents found in the car,” Rajput added.