Crucial evidence from Singapore, including CCTV footage and witness statements, linked to the death of singer Zubeen Garg, is expected to reach the Assam Police within the next 10 days, according to CID Special DGP Munna Prasad Gupta, who is heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case.
Gupta, addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Friday, said the Singapore Police Force (SPF) had assured full cooperation to facilitate a timely investigation. “We sought the statement of the yacht pilot and one member of Assam Association Singapore. As they are citizens of Singapore, it will have to be done through a legal process. They have assured us to provide us with the statements in the next 10 days,” Gupta stated.
He added that Assam Police had also requested CCTV footage from the hotel and other locations visited by Garg prior to his death. “We emphasised that we need assistance from them to complete the investigation in a timely manner. The way SPF is looking to complete the probe in 90 days, we will also have to submit the chargesheet within three months. They have assured us of all help,” Gupta said.
Gupta and Titabor Co-District SP Tarun Goel, who visited Singapore four days ago to follow up on the case, returned to India on Thursday. The duo met the Indian High Commissioner in Singapore and later held discussions with a five-member high-level delegation of the SPF. “We met the Indian High Commissioner in Singapore and discussed all legal assistance required. We also had a discussion with a five-member high-level delegation of SPF, and it was a very fruitful meeting,” Gupta told reporters.
The SIT chief confirmed that the SPF has shared the report of the initial autopsy, conducted soon after Garg’s death, through the Indian High Commission. “We could visit the place of occurrence and even the locations Zubeen Garg had visited during his stay in Singapore. We also visited the yacht, which was hired by the Assam Association Singapore. International cooperation usually takes a long time, but in this case, we are getting quick assistance,” he added.
In Guwahati, the CID has recorded statements from over 70 individuals so far. “It is going on in the right direction. Although I cannot say much, we have recorded statements from more than 70 people so far,” Gupta said, adding that Garg’s wife, Garima, and sister, Palme Borthakur, visited the CID headquarters earlier in the day to record their statements.
“I want to appeal to the people who have any relevant information of Zubeen Garg or any chats with him prior to his death to come out and share those information with us,” the SIT chief urged.
Also read: Assam Police in Singapore to probe Zubeen Garg’s death
The SIT, under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Assam Police, is investigating the singer’s death after more than 60 FIRs were filed across the state. Garg, a cultural icon of the Northeast, died under mysterious circumstances on September 19 while swimming in the sea off Singapore, where he had gone to attend the fourth edition of the North East India Festival.
The Indian government has invoked the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with Singapore to ensure cooperation in the investigation. Meanwhile, the Singapore Police Force is conducting its own independent probe into the incident. In its statement on October 17, the SPF said preliminary investigations “have not indicated any foul play in Garg’s death” but noted that the process may take up to three months, after which findings would be submitted to the State Coroner.
Back in Assam, the police have interrogated ten of the eleven Assamese expatriates who were present on the yacht when the singer allegedly drowned near an island. The remaining individual, a Singaporean citizen, is also under scrutiny.
Earlier, police apprehended North East India Festival chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma, and his two band members — Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amrit Prabha Mahanta. Later, the singer’s cousin and Assam Police DSP Sandipan Garg was arrested, along with Garg’s personal security officers, Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya.
Investigators have unearthed financial transactions worth over ₹1.1 crore from the accounts of Garg’s PSOs, which has widened the scope of the probe. All seven accused are currently in judicial custody, charged under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for murder, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy, and causing death by negligence.
As the case unfolds, both the Assam Police and Singapore authorities are working to piece together what happened in the final hours before Garg’s death — a tragedy that continues to grip the state and the singer’s countless admirers across the country.
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