Ludhiana Police Commissioner and IPS officer Swapan Sharma arrived at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in Chandigarh on Monday, October 19, in connection with an alleged fake forensic report case linked to a viral video concerning Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann (source: HimbuMail).

Reports said he was questioned for more than four hours before leaving the office (source: Wishav Warta).

The ED had summoned Sharma under Sections 50(2) and 50(3) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to record his statement and examine the alleged financial trail behind the alleged fabrication of forensic and cyber-analysis reports intended to establish that the video was AI-generated (sources: HimbuMail, PTC News).

The case stems from an FIR registered by Gurugram police on June 23 following a complaint by a forensic and cyber-analysis expert from Sirsa, Haryana, who allegedly claimed he was pressured to arrange reports supporting the AI-generated video theory (source: HimbuMail).

Gurugram police arrested two men, Arun Mohindru and Ankit, over the alleged fabrication of the reports, and investigators are examining a purported payment of Rs 10 lakh linked to the exercise — this payment is an allegation under investigation, not an established fact (source: HimbuMail).

The controversy centres on a video that went viral and allegedly depicted objectionable conduct involving images of Sikh Gurus. Mann has maintained that the person shown in the clip was not him and that the video was doctored or AI-generated (source: HimbuMail).

Sharma had earlier responded to the summons by saying he has "nothing to hide" and that he had travelled to Gurugram as part of his official duties in a cybercrime investigation (source: PunjaBenaNews).

Sharma's appearance before the agency does not establish wrongdoing, and all allegations in the case remain subject to investigation (source: HimbuMail).

Sources: HimbuMail, PTC News, PunjaBenaNews, Wishav Warta. (Editorial illustration)