Jalandhar: Ludhiana commissioner of police Swapan Sharma appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Chandigarh on Monday to face questioning in a money-laundering probe into allegedly fake forensic reports linked to a controversial video of Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann.
Summoned under Sections 50(2) and 50(3) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to appear in person, Sharma arrived at the ED zonal office around 11am.
The money-laundering probe stems from a June 23 FIR registered by Gurugram police under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 318 (cheating), 319 (cheating by personation), 336 (forgery), and 340 (forged electronic records), along with provisions of the Information Technology Act.
The case was registered following a complaint lodged by Jaspreet Singh, a Sirsa-based forensic expert who alleged that Punjab officials pressured, threatened, and coerced him at the Ludhiana cyber police station to procure favourable forensic findings. Investigators allege ₹10 lakh was routed through bank accounts in Gurugram’s commercial banking jurisdiction to manufacture fake reports.
Gurugram police subsequently arrested two individuals, Arun Mohindru and Ankit. Verification by investigators confirmed that the entities cited to validate the video—Sentinel Lab and Cyberian Labs—lacked government recognition, possessed no certified accreditation, and operated without physical office addresses.
{{/usCountry}}Gurugram police subsequently arrested two individuals, Arun Mohindru and Ankit. Verification by investigators confirmed that the entities cited to validate the video—Sentinel Lab and Cyberian Labs—lacked government recognition, possessed no certified accreditation, and operated without physical office addresses.
{{/usCountry}}The FIR refers to a senior police official under the alias “Bade Sahib,” whom investigators suspect is tied to the Ludhiana police leadership. Opposition parties previously circulated videos of Sharma dining with colleagues at a Gurugram hotel, alleging the trip overlapped with the period the fake reports were commissioned. Sharma has claimed the visit was related to an investigation into a Ludhiana-based cyber fraud.
Controversy and backlash
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Mann have repeatedly maintained that the clip was fabricated using artificial intelligence, citing private reports asserting technical manipulation, frame inconsistencies, visual layering, and graphic overlays. Defending the use of external private labs, AAP Punjab president Aman Arora said the move was intended to guarantee an impartial assessment outside state jurisdiction.
However, the video triggered religious backlash. On June 15, Akal Takht directed the Sikh community to ostracise Mann, declaring him Guru Dokhi (anti-Guru) and Khalsa Panth Virodhi (anti-Sikh community).
The decree followed a January 4 complaint alleging the clip showed Mann making objectionable remarks regarding the Guru ki Golak (gurdwara donation box) and showing disrespect toward images of Sikh Gurus and slain militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj said the secretariat had the video independently evaluated by two government-recognised laboratories, both of which concluded there was no evidence of frame tampering or AI generation.