2 more persons arrested in singer Zubeen Garg's death
Guwahati (PTI): Musician Shakharjyoti Goswami and singer Amritprabha Mahanta were arrested on Thursday in connection with the death of singer Zubeen Garg, police said.
Garg's musician Goswami and singer Amritprabha, who were present at the spot when the incident happened, were called for interrogation during the day and later arrested, they said.
"We have found some evidence against them. So, to enquire further, their arrest was necessary," an officer said.
With this, four persons were arrested in the case, including Garg's manager Siddharth Sharma and festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, police said.
Mahanta and Sarma were arrested on Wednesday and booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy and causing death by negligence, they said.
Special DGP of the Assam Police's CID Munna Prasad Gupta told reporters that the interrogation of Mahanta and Sarma is underway after a court remanded them to 14-day police custody.
"The investigation is going on, and I cannot share much detail. We have added Section 103 of the BNS in the FIR now," he said.
Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) deals with the punishment for murder. It mandates that whoever commits murder shall be punished with death or imprisonment for life, and a fine.
Shyamkanu is the younger brother of former DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, who is presently the Chief Information Commissioner of the Assam State Information Commission. His another elder brother is Nani Gopal Mahanta, who was the Education Advisor to CM Himanta Biswa Sarma before becoming the vice chancellor of Gauhati University.
The CID is probing the case of Garg's death after more than 60 FIRs have been lodged across the state against Mahanta, the chief organiser of the Northeast India Festival, where the singer had gone to perform, and almost 10 others, including the icon's manager, Sharma.
Meanwhile, Gupta said that the report of the autopsy conducted in Singapore will be handed over to Garg's family after completion of the formalities.
"The Singaporean authorities also did their investigation. The autopsy report from them will be directly shared with the family as per protocol. As per our information, they have already contacted Garg's family and will share the report soon," he said.
When asked about the second post-mortem examination carried out in Guwahati, the special DGP said the authority is waiting for the report on the viscera sample, which was sent to the Central Forensic Laboratory (CFL) in Delhi for a detailed examination.
"Once the viscera report is received, I guess the post-mortem report by the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital will be ready and available to us," Gupta said.
Garg died under mysterious circumstances in Singapore on September 19 while swimming in the sea. He had gone to the Southeast Asian nation to attend the 4th edition of the Northeast India Festival, organised by Mahanta and his company.
Assam Police formed a nine-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case.
Gupta, who is heading the SIT, said a team will leave for Singapore to collect evidence and other details related to the case once it gets approval from that country.
"Our team is ready to go to Singapore. There are some formalities to be done. We have sent the request through the proper channel, and it will take some time. Once they inform us, our team will go," he said.
The Indian government has invoked the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with Singapore, seeking cooperation in the investigation into the death of the singer in the Southeast Asian country.
Gupta said the CID has already issued notices to all people who were present or aware of the events leading to singer Zubeen Garg's death in Singapore, asking them to appear before its officers.
"We have served notices to the members of the Assam Association Singapore. As it is a foreign nation, we cannot directly go and nab them. The notices were served through the Indian High Commission and the Singaporean authority," he said.
Gupta also said they have quizzed Sandipan Garg, a Deputy SP and cousin of the singer, who was present with him during the incident.
"We have interrogated musician Shekharjyoti and singer Amritprava, who were with Garg at the time of his death. Beyond this, I cannot share any further details," he added.
Assam Police earlier initiated a separate probe against event manager Shyamkanu Mahanta for alleged organised financial crimes and acquiring huge amounts of benami properties by money laundering.
The CID claimed that it seized bundles of incriminating documents and other items from his home during the raid on September 25 and 26, such as multiple PAN cards in the name of the same firm, nearly 30 stamp seals of different companies and government officials, and documents related to several benami properties.
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ED cracks down on suspected interstate liquor racket, raids 9 sites in Arunachal
Itanagar (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate has carried out coordinated searches at nine locations across Arunachal Pradesh in connection with a suspected large-scale interstate liquor smuggling and money laundering network, officials said on Monday.
The action, taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), is part of an expanding probe that points to a syndicate exploiting tax differentials among states.
Officials said liquor designated for sale within Arunachal Pradesh was allegedly diverted and supplied illegally to markets in Assam and other states.
The searches, conducted earlier this week, spanned multiple towns such as Itanagar, Naharlagun, Seppa, Ziro, Daporijo, Namsai and Roing, targeting wholesale liquor businesses suspected of being linked to the network.
According to officials, the investigation stems from a series of FIRs registered by Assam Police over the illegal transportation of liquor from Arunachal Pradesh into Assam.
Inputs from the Assam Excise Department further strengthened the case. An Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) was registered on October 17, 2024, and later widened through an addendum incorporating 173 additional FIRs.
Earlier searches conducted on February 4 last year, at premises linked to three alleged key operators, believed to be major liquor manufacturers, had revealed indications of a well-coordinated operation.
Investigators suspect that the network functioned through a chain of manufacturers, bonded warehouses and wholesalers, while masking real ownership using proxy arrangements such as tribal partnerships and dummy licence holders.
During the latest ED operations, the agency found that several wholesale units were operating under proxy licences issued in the names of local individuals, while actual control remained with the suspected masterminds.
Financial scrutiny revealed that between 51 and 90 per cent of total credits in certain bank accounts comprised unexplained cash deposits.
Investigators also flagged a pattern of invoice splitting, with transactions deliberately kept below Rs 2 lakh to avoid scrutiny. In one instance, more than 200 invoices of identical value of Rs 1,99,554 were generated within a single month at one location.
On-ground staff reportedly confirmed that records, including stock registers and daily cash collections, were being routed to offices associated with the alleged controllers.
The ED said it seized approximately Rs 40 lakh in unaccounted cash during the searches.
In a significant finding, 14 seals, some purportedly belonging to the Excise Department of the Arunachal Pradesh government, were recovered from one of the premises. These are suspected to have been used to create fake transport permits to facilitate the unauthorised movement of liquor.
Further investigation is underway, officials added.
