NEW DELHI: The Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Friday shared a copy of singer
Zubeen Garg's autopsy report and preliminary findings with the Indian High Commission, following the artist's death in Singapore last month.
The handover was made at the request of Indian authorities, and police investigations into the case are ongoing, the officials said in a statement, ANI reported.
The public has been advised to refrain from sharing videos or images related to Garg’s death, out of respect for the late singer, they added.
Police arrests & 14-day police custody
Assam court has sent drummer Shekharjyoti Goswami and singer Amritprabha Mahanta to 14 days' police remand in connection with the artist's death.
Assam Police arrested Shekhar Jyoti, Amritprabha, manager Siddharth Sharma, and festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, taking the total arrests in connection with the case to four.
Earlier, on Thursday, murder charges were also invoked against manager Siddharth Sharma and festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, who were likewise remanded to 14-day police custody for ongoing interrogation.
Shyamkanu Mahanta had organised the Northeast India Festival in Singapore, where Garg was scheduled to perform on September 20. The singer drowned a day earlier while swimming in the sea, under mysterious circumstances.
Why bandmate and singer were taken into custody
Musician Shekhar Jyoti and singer Amritprabha, who were present at the scene during the incident, were called in for interrogation and later arrested.
"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," Special DGP of the Assam Police's CID Munna Prasad Gupta told PTI.
"We have found some evidence against them. So, to enquire further, their arrest was necessary," an another officer said.
Sharma and Mahanta were previously booked under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy, and causing death by negligence.
Second post-mortem conducted in Guwahati
Gupta had earlier confirmed that the autopsy report conducted in Singapore will be handed over to Garg’s family after formalities are completed.
Regarding the second post-mortem conducted in Guwahati, Gupta said authorities are awaiting the viscera report sent to the Central Forensic Laboratory (CFL) in Delhi.
"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," he added.
SIT formed for probe
Following Garg’s death, Assam Police formed a nine-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter.
Gupta, heading the SIT, said a team is ready to travel to Singapore to collect evidence, pending approval from the Singapore authorities.
The Indian government has invoked the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with Singapore to seek cooperation in the investigation. Gupta added that notices have been issued to members of the Assam Association Singapore and other individuals with knowledge of events leading to Garg’s death.
"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 noted.
Manager probed for alleged financial crimes
In addition to the death investigation, police are probing event manager Shyamkanu Mahanta for alleged organised financial crimes, including acquiring benami properties through money laundering.
During raids at Mahanta’s residence on September 25 and 26, authorities reportedly seized multiple PAN cards under the same firm, nearly 30 stamp seals of different companies and government officials, and documents linked to several benami properties.
The CID has received over 60 FIRs across Assam against Mahanta and nearly 10 others, including Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma, in connection with the singer’s death.
Gupta emphasised that investigations are ongoing and additional legal sections have been added to the FIR, including Section 103 of the BNS, which deals with the punishment for murder.
Garg had travelled to Singapore to perform at the Northeast India Festival when he tragically drowned on September 19, prompting a comprehensive investigation by both Singaporean and Indian authorities.
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