The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Ludhiana Commissioner of Police Swapan Sharma in a money-laundering investigation into alleged payments to procure fraudulent forensic and cyber analysis reports concerning a controversial video of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Sharma has been directed to appear in person at the ED's Chandigarh zonal office on October 19. The investigation is focused on tracing the alleged flow of illicit funds and establishing who paid for forensic opinions that investigators suspect were pre-arranged to declare the video artificially generated.
"I have received the summons, but I am yet to go through it. The details of that particular case are already in the public domain," Sharma said on Monday.
An ED official said the agency was investigating the source of the money allegedly paid to the accused to obtain pre-fixed forensic opinions. The official added that other individuals connected with the case would also be summoned.
The summons follows a case registered by Gurugram police in June, which led to the arrest of two individuals accused of arranging fraudulent forensic reports. The investigation has also raised questions about the role of Punjab Police officials and the credentials of laboratories cited in the defence of the video.
How the alleged ₹10 lakh payment came under investigation
The ED's money-laundering probe stems from a First Information Report (FIR) registered by Gurugram police on June 23. The case was filed under Sections 318, 319, 336 and 340 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), dealing with cheating, cheating by personation, forgery and using a forged document or electronic record as genuine, along with relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act.
The complaint was lodged by Jaspreet Singh, a forensic and cyber expert based in Sirsa, Haryana. Singh approached the police after receiving illicit money transfers through bank accounts registered within Gurugram's commercial banking jurisdiction, thereby bypassing Punjab state agencies.
Acting on the complaint, Gurugram police arrested Arun Mohindru and Ankit. Investigators allege that ₹10 lakh was paid to arrange fraudulent forensic reports declaring the controversial video to be AI-generated. The alleged payment comprised ₹7.5 lakh deposited into one bank account and ₹2.5 lakh into another.
The ED is now seeking to establish the origin and movement of the money, identify those who financed the alleged exercise and determine the individuals involved in arranging the reports.
Allegations point towards Punjab Police officials
In his statement, Singh alleged that Punjab officials frequently approached him at the Ludhiana cyber police station in an attempt to influence the forensic findings.
The FIR refers to a senior Punjab Police officer using the alias "Bade Sahib". Investigators suspect the individual may be connected with the leadership of Ludhiana police, a development that has prompted the ED to summon Sharma.
The allegations form part of the investigation and do not, by themselves, establish the guilt of any official.
Gurugram police also conducted verification of two entities cited in the defence of the video, Sentinel Lab and Cyberian Labs. The verification reportedly found that neither entity had government recognition or certified accreditation, and that both operated without office addresses.
These findings have added another dimension to the investigation into the authenticity and provenance of the forensic reports allegedly used to support claims that the video had been manipulated.
Controversial video sparks religious and political row
The investigation is linked to a wider controversy surrounding a viral video allegedly showing Mann engaging in objectionable acts involving images of Sikh Gurus and slain militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. The video reportedly showed a person splashing alcohol on photographs of Sikh Gurus and attempting to urinate on a poster of Bhindranwale.
Mann and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have repeatedly maintained that the footage was fabricated using artificial intelligence. The party presented a forensic examination report claiming that the clip contained technical signs of digital manipulation, including frame inconsistencies, visual layering and graphics overlays.
The controversy escalated after the Akal Takht, Sikhism's highest temporal seat, intervened. On June 15, it directed the Sikh community to ostracise Mann, declaring him "Guru Dokhi" (anti-Guru) and "Khalsa Panth Virodhi" (against the Sikh community).
The decision followed a complaint submitted on January 4 alleging that the video showed Mann making objectionable remarks about the Guru ki Golak, or the donation box at a gurdwara, and disrespecting images of Sikh Gurus and Bhindranwale.
On January 16, Mann appeared before Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj and maintained that the viral video had been doctored and generated using AI.
Gargaj subsequently said the Akal Takht secretariat had independently examined the footage through two government-recognised laboratories. According to him, both official reports concluded that there was no evidence of frame tampering or AI generation, contradicting the claims made in the reports presented by the AAP.
Timeline of the investigation
January 4, 2026: A complaint was submitted to the Akal Takht alleging that Mann had made derogatory remarks about the Guru ki Golak in a viral video.
January 16, 2026: Mann appeared before the Akal Takht acting jathedar and claimed that the video was doctored and AI-generated.
June 15, 2026: The Akal Takht issued an edict declaring Mann "Guru Dokhi". The acting jathedar said two government-recognised laboratories had found no evidence of video tampering or AI generation.
June 23, 2026: Gurugram police registered an FIR following allegations of a ₹10 lakh payment to procure fraudulent forensic reports. Two individuals, Arun Mohindru and Ankit, were arrested.
June 27, 2026: Reports of the police investigation indicated that Sentinel Lab and Cyberian Labs, cited in the disputed forensic documents, lacked government recognition and certified accreditation and had no verifiable office addresses.
October 19, 2026: Ludhiana Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma is scheduled to appear before the ED at its Chandigarh zonal office in connection with the alleged money trail and the disputed forensic reports.