Who is Gurinderjit Singh Nagra, the Punjab Police officer named by the FBI in an alleged extortion case?
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has named Punjab Police Inspector Gurinderjit Singh Nagra in an alleged international extortion racket. U.S. authorities have accused
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has named Punjab Police Inspector Gurinderjit Singh Nagra in an alleged international extortion racket. U.S. authorities have accused Mr. Nagra of involvement in a $400,000 extortion case, alleging that he worked in concert with the Lawrence Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gangs to target families based in the United States. Who is Gurinderjit Singh Nagra? Gurinderjit Singh Nagra was serving as the Station House Officer (SHO) of Tanda police station in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district. Following social media reports alleging his involvement in an extortion case being investigated by the FBI, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Hoshiarpur, ordered his immediate transfer to the Police Lines in Hoshiarpur. The SSP said the move was a precautionary measure and that a fact-finding inquiry had been initiated to verify the allegations. Punjab police probe into the allegations Following reports that Mr. Nagra had been named in an FBI indictment, the Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Jalandhar Range, assigned the inquiry to the Superintendent of Police (Investigation), Jalandhar Rural, to ensure an impartial probe. The Punjab Police also ordered a fact-finding inquiry after taking cognisance of media reports and social media posts linking Mr. Nagra to allegations contained in a U.S. federal indictment against members of an India-based organised crime syndicate. The inquiry officer has been directed to examine all relevant facts and allegations. The Punjab Police said any further legal action would depend on the findings of the inquiry.
In a statement, the office of the DIG, Jalandhar Range, said it had taken cognisance of “news reports and social media posts referring to the alleged naming of Inspector Gurinderjit Singh Nagra, presently posted as SHO, Police Station Tanda, Hoshiarpur district, in connection with an extortion-related investigation reportedly undertaken by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) under ‘Operation Hard Ball’.” “Pending verification of the facts, Inspector Gurinderjit Singh Nagra has been shifted from Police Station Tanda to Police Lines, Hoshiarpur, with immediate effect,” the statement said. It added that further action, if warranted, would be taken strictly in accordance with the law on the basis of the inquiry findings. U.S. federal indictment The transfer of Mr. Nagra came a day after the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced a coordinated international crackdown on India-based transnational organised crime groups. According to reports, the indictment alleges that gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria operated a criminal syndicate from an Indian prison and that Gurinderjit Singh, identified as a police officer in Punjab, attempted to implicate a U.S.-based family in a fabricated murder case in India. He was named in connection with an extortion-related investigation by U.S. authorities. The indictment alleges that the victims were pressured to pay $400,000 as part of an extortion scheme that relied on false criminal proceedings in India to coerce them. Links with the Bhagwanpuria gang Addressing a press conference in the United States, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said the police officer “is not in custody yet but he will be shortly.” “We have charged him and we will extradite him to the U.S.,” he said.
The BriefWire