Zubeen Garg death | Court orders for attaching firm owned by manager, 'prime accused' Siddharth Sarma

Police claimed the money invested in the firm were siphoned off from his employer and was the prime motive behind the murder.

Guwahati: A fast-track court conducting trial into Zubeen Garg's alleged murder case on Wednesday ordered for attaching a firm owned by his manager Siddarth Sharma based on police allegation that the money invested in the firm was siphoned off from the cultural icon.

Police stated that investigation revealed that the money was misappropriated from his employer (Zubeen Garg) and is considered to be the prime motive of the accused to premeditate the murder.

Siddharth, along with six others have been in judicial custody since their arrests following Garg's sudden death in Singapore in September last year.

Sharma is one of the prime accused in the alleged murder of the cultural icon. Garg died while swimming in a sea but police and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma alleged that he was murdered.

During a hearing on Wednesday, judge Sharmila Bhuyan stated that documents scrutinised revealed that there is a huge mismatch of Sharma's monthly income with his bank statement, deposits made by him in the account of his family members and investment of Rs 1.10 crores made by him in the Mahavir Aqua, a packaged drinking water firm. Siddarth is a partner in the firm.

"There is no explanation from his end where from and how he is able to make such a huge investment in spite of his limited known source of earnings and the investment made by him that were much higher than his known source of income. He failed to submit a single document showing such a huge investment to the tune of Rs 1.10 crore investment in the Mahavir Aqua from his known source of income," the court said in its 49-page order on Wednesday.

It said even the objection filed by the accused did not disclose his monthly income and no income tax returns were furnished to show his legal investment from a known source of earning in the investment in Mahavir Aqua. The order said the document and the witness revealed that Sharma's investment in the Mahavir Aqua are the proceeds of crime.

Garg's death outraged Assam and led to protests demanding action against those responsible for the cultural icon's death. A fast-track court was set up just before the Assembly elections on April 9 in view of growing demand for a speedy trial and to ensure justice.

Motive behind murder

The police told the court that investigation revealed that money invested was found to be accrued from the money misappropriated from his employer (Zubeen Garg) and is considered to be the prime motive of the accused to premeditate the murder.