A Punjab Police officer has been charged in a U.S. federal indictment for allegedly participating in an international extortion scheme.
During a press conference, a U.S. official identified Gurinderjeet Singh, a police officer from India, as one of the defendants charged with attempting to extort victims in Los Angeles by allegedly threatening to implicate them in a false murder case in India unless they paid $400,000. Gurinderjeet Singh is not currently in U.S. custody but is expected to be taken into custody shortly, official added.
The accused is among the 37 defendants charged in three U.S. federal indictments targeting three India-based transnational organised crime groups.
The U.S. federal indictment (United States v. Bhagwanpuria, et al.) alleged that the Bhagwanpuria syndicate expanded its operations by corrupting law enforcement officers in India and working with corrupt government officials to carry out extortion schemes.
According to the indictment, Gurlal Singh, 22, of Stockton, California, an alleged member of Bhagwanpuria syndicate who was in the United States illegally, threatened a victim in April 2026 and provided the victim’s identity to a law enforcement officer in Punjab. The indictment alleged the officer falsely accused the victim, the victim’s father and sister in connection with the January 2026 murder of a person identified in court documents as “B.S.” and then attempted to extort the victim and the victim’s father in relation to the pending murder case.
Punjab orders fact-finding probe
Punjab Police on Wednesday said it had taken cognisance of media reports and social media posts regarding the allegations against Gurinderjeet Singh Nagra in connection with the FBI’s “Operation Hardball”. Pending verification of the facts, the officer has been shifted from Tanda Police Station to Police Lines, Hoshiarpur, with immediate effect.
In a press note, the office of the DIG, Jalandhar Range, said a fact-finding inquiry had been ordered and entrusted to the Superintendent of Police (Investigation), Jalandhar Rural. The inquiry officer has been directed to examine the allegations and submit a report at the earliest, following which further action, if warranted, will be taken in accordance with the law.
Reacting to the case, former Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, Giani Harpreet Singh said the allegations against the Punjab Police officer were “extremely serious” and called for a fair, transparent and impartial investigation. He questioned how the name of Punjab Police had allegedly surfaced in connection with an international extortion network and asked the Bhagwant Mann government and the Director General of Police to explain the allegations.