Punjab Cop Who Extorted Rs 4 Crore From Family And Was Wanted By US Arrested

Gurinderjit Singh Nagra -- the Punjab police officer who was earlier transfered to police lines for being under the United States' scanner for allegedly assisting gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria's organised crime group -- has now been arrested. He has been accused of demanding Rs 4 crore bribe from a family in US by threatening to file false murder charges against their relatives in India. A case under the Extortion and Corruption Act has been filed against him.

The Punjab police started a probe against Nagra after the US prosecutors charged him in a sweeping racketeering case, alleging he worked with Bhagwanpuria's crime syndicate to falsely implicate victims in a murder case and extort money by threatening criminal prosecution.

The investigation conducted so far has revealed that Nagra is found to be involved in extorting and accepting Rs16 lakh as illegal gratification from the US-based family.

The allegations are part of one of three indictments unsealed this week as part of 'Operation Hard Ball' -- a multinational probe targeting organised crime groups accused of murder, extortion, drug trafficking, and other crimes across the United States, Canada, and Europe.

The action against Nagra -- who was the station house officer (SHO) at the Tanda police station -- came after a video of a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) media briefing went viral, where officials accused him of helping gangsters extort $4,00,000 (Rs 4 crores) from a family in Los Angeles by threatening to file false murder charges against their relatives in India. 

The authenticity of the claims made by US prosecutors has not been independently verified. 

However, after the video went viral, Hoshiarpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sandeep Kumar Malik ordered that SHO Nagra be moved to the police lines as a precautionary measure.

The SSP 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.

However, the police have ordered an inquiry against the official under a Jalandhar superintendent of police. Officials said the facts will become clear only after the inquiry is completed, and any further action will be taken based on the investigation report.

The US Claims

US 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. 

US media reported 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.

The US charges against the police official are part of a broader case involving 37 defendants accused of participating in three transnational organised crime groups operating across several countries.