Zubeen Garg's Death: CID Launches New Probe Against Event Manager Amid Singer's Family Complaint

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Assam Police has begun a separate probe against accused event manager Shyamkanu Mahanta in Zubeen Garg's death in Singapore on September 19 for his suspected role in organised financial crimes and obtaining properties through money laundering, according to official documents. This comes amid singer's family filing a complaint with the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) over his death by drowning, seeking a thorough investigation into the incident.

Manoj Kumar Borthakur, Garg's uncle and one of the signatories of the complaint informed PTI that they had sent the complaint to the CID via email on Saturday. He mentioned,“We want a thorough probe into the circumstances of his death." Other signatories include Zubeen Garg's wife, Garima, and his sister, Palme Borthakur.

A senior police officer stated,“We have received a complaint from Garg's family and are examining it.” He added that the Special Investigating Team (SIT) of the CID is already investigating the circumstances surrounding the singer-composer's death and the family's complaint will be taken up as part of this probe.“We needed to ask certain things, and our officers met the family. Their statements are being recorded,” the officer added.

The SIT team also visited Garg's residence in the Kahilipara area of Guwahati on Sunday. The CID confiscated bundles of "incriminating" documents and items from Shyamkanu's residence during raids conducted on Thursday and Friday, according to official records.

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These included multiple PAN cards registered under a single firm's name, nearly 30 stamp seals belonging to various companies and government officials, and documents related to several benami properties.

Following the search, CID Senior SP Ashif Ahmed filed a detailed FIR, outlining all the recovered materials and requesting a separate investigation into Mahanta's alleged financial irregularities, including the attachment and freezing of all his assets, PTI reported.

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After receiving the complaint, CID headquarters registered a case on Saturday night under multiple sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhtia (BNS) and appointed Additional SP Moramee Das as the investigating officer. The CID is also investigating Garg's death, while more than 60 FIRs have been filed across the state against Mahanta, who was the chief organiser of the Northeast India Festival in Singapore where the singer had performed, along with nearly 10 others, including the singer's manager Siddharth Sharma.

Who is Shyamkanu Mahanta?

Shyamkanu is the younger brother of Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, the former DGP and current chief information commissioner of the Assam State Information Commission. Another elder brother, Nani Gopal Mahanta, served as the education advisor to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma before being appointed vice chancellor of Gauhati University.

Zubeen Garg's death: What does the CID FIR say?

The CID FIR stated,“In the course of the search, several incriminating documents and articles were seized, which clearly point towards the commission of serious financial irregularities, forgery, and use of fraudulent means for unlawful financial gains. The possession and use of multiple PAN cards in the name of the same entity prima facie establishes fraudulent intention and deliberate manipulation to conceal or project tainted money as untainted.”

"Such recovery strongly indicates the accused's involvement in forgery, impersonation, fabrication of official documents, and use of such forged instruments for financial transactions with the intent to cheat financial institutions, Government departments, and other stakeholders. That the possession of multiple PAN cards and large numbers of forged seals prima facie reveals a well-structured conspiracy and organised financial crime, having cross-jurisdictional ramifications. The same amounts to creation and circulation of proceeds of crime, which squarely falls under the ambit of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA ), 2002," it added.

It said several documents were also found inside Mahanta's residence and office premises, relating to the construction of roads under the PMGSY scheme across various districts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

The FIR further stated,“That in view of the above, it is humbly submitted that an independent investigation for misappropriation of government funds, cheating by forgery of government documents has been committed by Syam Kanu (sic) Mahanta and his associates and acquired huge properties out of the proceeds of crime.”

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