Police said the officers could also face arrest if sufficient evidence is found against them. The development comes amid a political row over an alleged objectionable video, following which the Akal Takht issued an order against Mann on June 15.

The directive was issued by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj after claiming that two forensic laboratories had found the video—showing a person resembling Mann—to be “genuine”.

However, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has dismissed the video as a “false propaganda campaign” aimed at defaming him. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also maintained that forensic examinations conducted by two laboratories concluded that the person seen in the video was not the Chief Minister.

Officials said Gurugram Police have collected CCTV footage and hotel entry records from the property where the Punjab Police officers had recently stayed.

A senior police officer said investigators believe the officers’ presence at the hotel may not have been coincidental but part of a larger conspiracy. “The two Punjab Police officers will soon be formally asked to join the investigation. We want to establish the purpose of their visit and determine whether they had any links with the accused already arrested in the case. A decision on naming them as co-accused will depend on their statements and the evidence collected during questioning. If credible evidence emerges, they may be arrested,” the officer said.

Officials further said that complainant Jaspreet, alias Jassi, has been shifted to a safe house where senior officers are questioning him.

According to the FIR registered in Gurugram, Jaspreet, a resident of Sirsa in Haryana and a professional associated with digital forensics, cyber investigations and electronic evidence analysis, alleged that he was pressured, threatened and coerced into securing forensic reports with a predetermined conclusion that the disputed video had been generated using artificial intelligence (AI) and that the individual shown in it was not Chief Minister Mann.

In his complaint, Jaspreet claimed that after reviewing the material provided to him, he informed those concerned that the quality, nature and source of the video were insufficient to provide a reliable forensic opinion.

Meanwhile, a city court has remanded the two arrested accused, Arun Mehndru and Ankit, to eight days of police custody. The duo was arrested on June 23.

During the remand period, investigators will examine which Punjab government officials were in contact with the accused. Police will also question them about where and how the alleged forged report was prepared, the source of the printouts, the laboratory’s email ID, the use of official seals and other related aspects. Investigators are also trying to determine whether more individuals were involved in preparing the alleged fake forensic report.

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