People gather to pay tribute to late music icon Zubeen Garg in Guwahati. File | Photo credit: PTI
Two senior Assam police officers arrived in Singapore on Monday (Oct 20, 2025) to investigate the death of singer Zubeen Garg in the island nation last month, officials said.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Assam Police is currently probing Garg’s death after more than 60 FIRs were lodged across the state.
According to a senior official, CID Special DGP Munna Prasad Gupta and Titabor Co-District SP Tarun Goel arrived in Singapore by flight from Guwahati. Mr. Gupta heads the nine-member SIT, while Mr. Goel is its member.
Two members of the SIT will visit “the spot where Garg breathed his last”, another official said. “Linking the series of events with the incident site is one of the most important aspects of the entire investigation process. Besides, the Assam Police team will sit with their counterparts in Singapore to discuss the case,” he said.
The acclaimed singer died under mysterious circumstances in Singapore on September 19 while swimming in the sea. He went to the Southeast Asian nation to attend the 4th edition of the Northeast India Festival.
The SIT is also likely to meet the yacht’s pilot and crew to know the exact details of the incident, the official said. “They are likely to visit the five-star hotel where Garg was staying. They will try to probe every angle of the case,” he said.
The Indian government had earlier invoked the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with Singapore and sought cooperation in the investigation into the singer’s death. The Singapore Police Force (SPF) is also conducting an independent investigation into the incident.
In a statement on October 17, the SPF said preliminary investigations did not indicate any foul play in Gargo’s death. It also said the investigation into the death of the popular Indian singer, songwriter and composer could take another three months, after which the findings would be submitted to the state coroner for further proceedings.
The Assam police have questioned 10 Assamese expats from Singapore out of the 11 against whom summonses have been issued, while the remaining one is a citizen of the Southeast Asian nation.
Several Assam Association Singapore offices had booked a yacht and these 11 people were present when Garg allegedly drowned in the sea.
Earlier, the main organizer of the festival in Northeast India, Shyamkanu Mahanta, the singer’s manager Siddharth Sharma and his two band members – Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amrit Prabha Mahanta – were arrested.
Later, Garg’s cousin and Assam Police DSP Sandipan Garg was arrested in connection with the singer’s death in September in Singapore.
PSOs Zubeen Garg Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya were also arrested after police found huge financial transactions worth over ₹1.1 crore in their accounts.
All seven arrested are now in judicial custody. They have been listed under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for murder, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy and causing death by negligence.
Published – 20 October 2025 19:07 IST
