U.S. law enforcement authorities will seek the extradition of Punjab police inspector Gurinderjit Singh Nagra for allegedly attempting to extort $400,000 from a Los Angeles family by threatening to frame relatives in Punjab.
Federal indictments unsealed in Los Angeles on Tuesday as part of “Operation Hard Ball” revealed that Nagra — who has also been known as Gurinderjit Singh Nagra, Gurinder Jeet Singh, and Rajinder Singh — worked with members of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang to target civilians with false accusations and demands for money. Nagra is currently posted as the station house officer (SHO) at Hoshiarpur’s Tanda police station.
“Transnational criminal gangs who spread fear, drugs, and violence will face the full force of justice and the weight of the federal government,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Working together, law enforcement in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia are determined to target and dismantle these criminal organizations wherever they operate. There is no safe harbor for these thugs.”
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According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Operation Hard Ball is the result of a years-long federal investigation into Indian crime syndicates that engage in racketeering, targeted killings, shootings, extortion, the trafficking of bulk quantities of narcotics across international borders, and other crimes, often targeting the Indian diaspora. Across the three indictments, a total of 37 defendants — including two defendants who ran their global criminal syndicates while imprisoned in India — were charged.
The Punjab police responded to this by shifting Nagra to the Police Lines in Hoshiarpur with immediate effect. Jalandhar Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Naveen Singla said that Jalandhar Rural Superintendent of Police Vineet Ahlawat has begun a probe into the allegations and will submit a detailed report at the earliest.
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Hoshiarpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sandeep Kumar Malik specified that so far, Punjab police have received no official confirmation or communication from New Delhi or the Punjab government regarding the alleged FBI claims.
U.S. prosecutors have alleged Gurlal Singh, an alleged member of the Bhagwanpuria gang, provided information about a victim in LA to Nagra “for purposes of falsely accusing” the individual of murder. Reports stated that Nagra then allegedly contacted the victim’s father and informed him that criminal charges would be filed against him unless the money was paid. He also threatened to name the victim in the murder investigation.
This case had gained special attention as a video of a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) media briefing went viral. The video showed Nagra being accused by officials.