GUWAHATI: Zubeen Garg’s ex-manager and prime accused Siddharth Sharma invested Rs 1.1 crore in a packaged drinking water plant using money allegedly siphoned from the singer, Assam police’s SIT told a court Saturday, listing it as one of the key motives behind the cultural icon’s Sept 2025 murder in Singapore.The submission was made by SIT chief IO Rosie Kalita in a petition before Kamrup court seeking “attachment and forfeiture” of the water unit acquired by Sharma. Mahabir Aqua Water Plant is in Chaygaon, around 40km from Guwahati.In the petition, Kalita said if the attachment order is not granted, Sharma and his business partner Chetan Dhirasaria would liquidate Mahabir Aqua’s assets and any subsequent declaration of compensation by court “will not hold good”. Judge Gautam Baruah ordered notices to Sharma and Dhirasaria to explain why the unit should not be attached by Jan 17.In his order, the judge noted SIT submission that the amount invested by Sharma arose from money misappropriated from Zubeen and was among the prime motives to premeditate the murder. “Benami transactions and money laundered by Sharma is the crux of the issue,” the judge said as Sharma and six other accused were produced from jail via video conferencing. The order said Sharma took show fees in cash; Kalita said he earned Rs 57,000 monthly till Nov 2022. The other accused in the case are Singapore fest organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, band member Sekhar Goswami, co-singer Amritprava Mahanta, Zubeen’s cousin and his PSOs.
