CID Alleges Digital Deletion, PAN Fraud — Was Zubeen Garg’s Death a Tip of the Iceberg?

In a dramatic twist in the high-profile probe into the death of legendary Assamese singer Zubeen Garg, two top suspects- North East India Festival chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta and Garg's manager Siddharth Sharma — were arrested and brought to Guwahati early on Wednesday, closing a 13 day manhunt which has captivated the state.

From documents and a CID FIR that have been made public to Pratidin Time, the Additional Secretary in the Union Home Ministry, Praveen Singh, at 12:42:51 PM IST on September 30, 2025, e mailed the Singapore Attorney General's chambers (fscons.singapore@mea.gov.in), requesting formally the mutual legal assistance so that the authorities in Singapore would arrest or extradite the accused mentioned in Assam CID case No. 18/2025.

The request was copied to T. Prabhakar, First Secretary at the Indian Embassy in Singapore.

Following that move, Assam police carried out coordinated arrests on the night of October 1. Shyamkanu Mahanta was taken into custody after being detained at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport shortly after midnight. Siddharth Sharma was arrested in transit near a tollgate in Gurgaon while travelling from Rajasthan to Delhi in the early hours of October 1.

Both the men were flown back to Guwahati on Air India flight IX1197. The plane took off from Terminal 3, Delhi, at 04:39 AM and arrived at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Borjhar, at 06:37 AM on October 1, 2025. A tight security cordon had been put in place at the Guwahati airport. Police claim both were taken from the plane through a cargo gate in a massive convoy and brought straight to the CID's guesthouse in Geetanagar and produced before the court.

Court Appearance and Viral Photos

Court documents indicate the suspect showed up at the airport without handcuffs, although handcuffs were affixed to them when they were brought before the magistrate. Images of the two men in handcuffs within the CID headquarters lockup later flooded social media and newspapers, further generating controversy over the optics and the way the police had handled the case.

Charges and CID probe

The CID’s FIR, filed by Senior Superintendent Ashif Ahmed, lists eight sections of the BNSS: 316(5), 336(3), 337, 338, 339, 340(2), 341(1) and 342(1). The FIR alleges multiple offences and incorporates evidence police say was recovered during searches at Mahanta’s residence and offices.

Investigators say they found, among other things, two PAN cards registered to the same company name — ‘TREND MMS’ — bearing PAN numbers AACTT1645G and AAGFT5093G.

Officials have also allegedly confiscated official stamps and seals of various government and public works officials, such as a seal belonging to an assistant engineer of the SLOC cell of the public works department (ROADS) at Chandmari. The CID claims these items indicate probable financial misconduct and fictitious billings for public road works — including PMGSY works in various districts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh — amounting to crores of rupees over the past few years.

Digital Trail, Mobile Number and Website Takedowns

One of the central pieces of evidence in investigators' case is the claimed control of such crucial digital content. CID sources indicate Zubeen Garg's mobile phone had supposedly been in manager Siddharth Sharma's custody following the singer's death in the days leading up. Sharma subsequently surrendered the phone to the police, but investigators claim the extended possession raised questions about possible tampering or erasure of evidence.

The investigation has also targeted content online. Mahanta maintained two event websites — for the North East Festival and Rongali Utsav — that are said to have featured key documents and photographs. The police claim that the websites were shut down in late September. A September 24, 2025 e mail to Mahanta's colleague, Manna Deb, from a company called ITech Computer told them that ITech Computer was unable to host or keep up the two websites and provided them with 15 days in which to download materials. Inspectors report that the websites were actually disabled long before that 15 day window expired, which has raised new suspicions of intentional data destruction.

Social Media Activity and Look Out Notice

Mahanta, who often used Facebook to speak to followers, live-streamed on 25 September 2025 claiming he had nothing to do with Garg's murder. He posted again on 29 September saying he would be coming back soon to Assam. On 30 September, however, his Facebook account was suspended, something investigators are looking very closely into.

Previously, a look out notice also had been issued against Mahanta, officials added, and the unexpected arrests on the day the singer's 13 day funeral rituals were being celebrated have triggered heated public response in Assam. Loved ones of the deceased singer welcomed news of the arrests, while many called for an open, unbiased and swift investigation.

Public Trust and Call For In-depth Probe

Onlookers and the public have expressed doubt over procedure and timing. There are questions being raised regarding why the suspects were not held in custody sooner if police thought they had material evidence and whether influential networks had stalled action. Local leaders warned that any inability to get convictions would be regarded as a miscarriage of justice.

The CID has arrested both men and brought them to 14 day custody and shifted them to its headquarters in Ulubari after fulfilling court formalities. As the case proceeds to the next phases, the Assam government and the Union Home Ministry have stated that they would co operate fully with any foreign legal requisites emerging from the investigation.

With passions running high throughout Assam, citizens and civil society organizations are demanding a transparent probe and immediate legal action so the people — who have been grieving the loss of a cultural icon — can be assured that the rule of law has held fast.

Also Read: Singapore’s Lazarus Island: Beauty, Haunting, and the Questions Surrounding Zubeen Garg