Zubeen Garg's cousin Sandipan Garg arrested after SIT questioning

Guwahati: The Assam Police's Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested Sandipan Garg, cousin of the late Zubeen Garg, in connection with the mysterious death of the renowned singer.

Sandipan, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in the Assam Police Service, became the fifth person arrested in the case.

Authorities have charged all the accused with murder, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy, and causing death by negligence.

Police took Sandipan into custody immediately after he arrived at the CID office for questioning. He appeared before a local court on the morning of his arrest, which ordered him to remain in police custody for seven days.

The SIT had requested 14 days of custody, but the court granted a seven-day detention. Further, he will be produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court later today.

Zubeen Garg tragically died on September 19 during a trip to Singapore for the North East India Festival.

The 52-year-old singer went for a swim at a yacht party, where authorities later found him floating face down in the water.

Sandipan had accompanied his cousin on what was his first foreign trip. He was present at the yacht party, and after Zubeen's death, he returned to India with some of the singer's belongings.

In a recent post on his official Facebook page, Sandipan stated, “I’ve fully cooperated with the SIT,” following his extended interrogation.

The investigation into Zubeen Garg's death has taken several significant turns in the past few days.

On October 1, the SIT arrested two key individuals: Siddharth Sharma, Zubeen's manager, and Shyamkanu Mahanta, the organizer of the North East India Festival in Singapore.

Authorities have charged both with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The police arrested musician Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and singer Amritprabha Mahanta, who attended the yacht party, and remanded them to 14-day police custody.

Witnesses saw Goswami swimming very close to Zubeen shortly before his death, and Mahanta recorded the incident on her mobile phone.

The SIT continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding Zubeen Garg's death, exploring various angles, including the possibility of foul play.

Authorities have not ruled out any potential involvement of other parties.