Guwahati: A court has ordered the freezing of six bank accounts linked to Siddhartha Sharma, citing strong prima facie evidence that funds belonging to the late singer Zubeen Garg were siphoned off and routed through these accounts.

The order was passed by a fast-track court in Guwahati, which is currently hearing the high-profile case surrounding Garg’s death. The court directed that all accounts either held by Sharma or operated by him be frozen as part of the ongoing investigation into alleged financial irregularities.

According to the court, the prosecution presented documents indicating large-scale siphoning, routing of funds, and “cash whitening” involving deposits made into multiple accounts controlled by Sharma. The judge observed that these deposits appeared to be proceeds of crime and were inconsistent with Sharma’s known sources of income.

In its observations, the court noted that Sharma failed to provide any supporting financial records, such as income tax returns or documentation, to justify the substantial sums in the accounts. It also pointed to an alleged investment of around Rs 1.10 crore in a firm, which the prosecution claims was funded using money diverted from Garg, reported NDTV.

The development marks a significant step in the financial trail being probed by investigators, who suspect that the alleged embezzlement could be linked to the broader case surrounding the singer’s death.

Zubeen Garg, a cultural icon in Assam, died in September last year while in Singapore for an event. While Singapore authorities termed the death an accidental drowning, Indian investigators have continued to probe multiple angles, including financial motives.