CID probes forgery trail as 2 PAN cards, govt seals seized from Shyamkanu’s home, office

Guwahati, Sep 28: The Assam Police’s CID has launched a fresh probe into NEIF manager Shyamkanu Mahanta, accused in the death of cultural icon Zubeen Garg.

During raids at his residence and office, investigators reportedly seized forged documents, including duplicate PAN cards for a single company and 28 stamp seals of various government officials and firms.

The CID conducted a two-day search operation on Thursday and Friday, recovering “incriminating” materials pointing to large-scale financial fraud and forgery.

Notably, the PAN cards issued in the name of Mahanta’s event management company, "Trend MMS", bore different numbers. Investigators said this prima facie indicated fraudulent intent and manipulation of financial records, suggesting possible money laundering.

“The possession and use of multiple PAN cards in the name of the same entity clearly indicates deliberate concealment and projection of tainted money as clean,” the CID’s FIR noted.

Alongside the PAN cards, officials also recovered 28 forged stamp seals belonging to a range of companies and government departments.

The CID observed that such materials suggested Mahanta’s involvement in “forgery, impersonation, and fabrication of official documents” to conduct financial transactions and deceive institutions.

“This recovery strongly indicates a well-structured conspiracy and organised financial crime with cross-jurisdictional implications,” the FIR stated, adding that the seized items fall under the ambit of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

In addition, documents linked to construction projects under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh were also found at his premises, raising suspicions of misappropriation of government funds.

CID’s Senior SP Ashif Ahmed has requested a separate probe into Mahanta’s alleged financial irregularities, recommending that his properties and bank accounts be frozen and all transactions scrutinised.

The CID headquarters subsequently registered a case under multiple sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and appointed Additional SP Moramee Das as the investigating officer.

This comes even as the CID continues to probe Garg’s death in Singapore on September 19, for which over 60 FIRs have been lodged across Assam naming Mahanta, the organiser of the NEIF, where Garg had gone to perform, and nearly 10 others, including the singer’s manager Siddharth Sharma.

With the seizure of forged PAN cards and government seals, the financial angle to the case has now taken centre stage, widening the scope of investigation against Mahanta, who is also the younger brother of former Assam DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta and Gauhati University Vice Chancellor Nani Gopal Mahanta.

PTI