Video row: CCTV footage shows 2 Punjab cops visiting Gurugram hotel, say police

They say if concrete evidence is found against the Punjab Police officials, they could be arrested

Gurugram Police have obtained CCTV footage of two Punjab Police officials visiting a hotel here to allegedly arrange the "fabricated" forensic report of a controversial video linked to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and are preparing to summon them for questioning, officials said on Thursday.

They said if concrete evidence is found against these Punjab Police officials, they could be arrested.

The development comes amid a political storm triggered by an alleged objectionable video over which the Akal Takht had issued an edict against Mann on June 15.

The edict came after Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj claimed that the video -- purportedly showing a man resembling Mann -- was found to be "authentic" by two forensic laboratories.

Mann has rejected the video, saying it was "false propaganda" aimed at defaming him. The Punjab AAP had also claimed that forensic tests by two labs showed that the man in the video was not the CM.

A police officer said they believe that the presence of these officers is not merely a coincidence, but could be part of a deeper conspiracy.

"These two officers from Punjab will soon be summoned formally to join the investigation. We want to clarify the purpose of their visit to the hotel and determine whether they have any connection to the accused arrested in the case.

"A decision on naming them as co-accused in the case will be taken based on the responses and the evidence obtained during their questioning. If concrete evidence is found against them, they could be arrested," the officer said.

The complainant in the case, Jaspreet alias Jassi, has been moved to a safe house, where senior officials are questioning him, the officials said.

According to the FIR registered in Gurugram, Jaspreet, a resident of Sirsa in Haryana, has alleged that he was pressured, threatened and coerced into getting forensic reports related to the video with a predetermined conclusion that the video in question was created and manipulated using artificial intelligence and that the person seen in the video was not Mann.

In his complaint, Jaspreet, who is associated with digital forensics, cyber investigation and electronic evidence analysis, claimed that after reviewing the material provided to him, he told them that the quality, nature and source of the video material were insufficient to provide a reliable forensic opinion.

A city court has sent the two arrested accused, Arun Mehandru and Ankit, to eight-day police custody, the officials said.

They were arrested on June 23.

During the custody of the two, police will try to ascertain which Punjab officials communicated with them, according to the officials.

Police will question the accused about where and how the report was prepared. They will also be asked where they obtained the printouts from, the lab's email ID, the use of stamps and other relevant information. Efforts will be made to ascertain whether anyone else was involved in the preparation of this report, a senior investigating officer said.