Zubeen Garg death probe: Manager killed him for money, says SIT; court issues notices

GUWAHATI: Assam Police investigators probing the murder of Zubeen Garg on Saturday told the Kamrup (M) sessions court that the prime accused, Garg’s former manager Siddharth Sharma, invested Rs 1.10 crore in a packaged drinking water plant using money allegedly siphoned from the singer, and that it was one of the key motives behind the killing.The submission was made by SIT chief investigating officer Dr Rosie Kalita in a petition seeking “attachment and forfeiture of property (the drinking water plant, Mahabir Aqua Water Plant situated at Chatabari Industrial Area, Chaygaon) acquired by Sidharth Sharma from the process of criminal activity.”In the petition, the officer said if the attachment order is not granted, the “prime accused and his business partner (Chetan Dhirasaria) will definitely liquidate the assets of MAHAVIR AQUA and in that event of declaration of compensation to the victim Late Zubeen Garg by this court will not hold good.”Judge Gautam Baruah ordered issue of notices to Sharma and his partner, Dhirasaria, to show cause as to why their property shall not be attached and reply by Jan 17.In his order issued on Saturday, the judge said the SIT investigator submitted that the amount invested by Sharma in ‘Mahavir Aqua’ “was investigated thoroughly and it has been found that the said amount has been acquired from the money misappropriated from his employer late Zubeen Garg. It was one of the prime motive of accused Siddharth Sharma to premeditate the murder of his employer, late Zubeen Garg.”The judge noted, “The IO has submitted that prime accused Siddharth Sharma had borne his modus operandi to launder and legalize his ill-gotten money siphoned from his employer Zubeen Garg. It is submitted that benami transactions and money laundering laundered by accused Siddharth Sharma is the crux of the issue for which the attachment under Section 107 of BNSS of MAHAVIR AQUA is necessary as this investments are made from the proceeds of crime.”The court order further stated that the investigating officer has submitted that Sharma routinely accepted show fees in cash and deliberately avoided depositing them into official bank accounts, enabling benami transactions and money laundering.“The IO has submitted that prime accused Sidharth Sharma had laundered money through several persons after misappropriating the amount in cash from his employer late Zubeen Garg,” the judge noted.The IO has submitted several instances of Sharma’s transactions giving cash to his employees, relatives and other individuals for depositing in his bank account to legitimise the cash.The IO submitted that Sharma was a salaried person up to Nov 2022, earning Rs 57,000 per month from TM Ventures Pvt. Ltd and suddenly rose to such a stature to invest crores of money.The IO has also submitted forensic auditing and financial analysis of the bank account transactions and investments made by Sharma conducted by an empanelled chartered accountant firm.