A Punjab Police Station House Officer (SHO) has come under the scanner of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which has accused him of attempting to extort $4,00,000 from a US-based family by threatening to implicate its members in a false murder case in India.
The allegations surfaced during the announcement of Operation Hard Ball. The officer, identified by US authorities as Gurinderjit Singh Nagra, SHO of Tanda police station in Hoshiarpur district, has since been transferred to the Police Lines, while the Punjab Police have ordered a departmental inquiry into the allegations.
First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli alleged that the SHO was part of an extortion conspiracy linked to the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria organised crime syndicate.
“He was going to charge their family in India for murder. I think he did actually file murder charges against the family in India until the victim agreed to pay money. We have charged him and we will extradite him to the US,” Essayli said.
According to the seven-count federal indictment titled US vs Bhagwanpuria, et al., members of the Bhagwanpuria syndicate cultivated links with corrupt law enforcement officials in India and allegedly used them to fabricate criminal cases and extort victims.
The indictment alleged that in April 2026, Gurlal Singh, an alleged member of the Bhagwanpuria syndicate based in Stockton, California, threatened a victim in the US before passing the victim’s details to an alleged “corrupt law enforcement officer” in Punjab.
Prosecutors alleged that the officer subsequently implicated the victim, his father and sister in a murder case relating to the January 2026 killing of a person identified in court documents only as “BS”. According to US prosecutors, the murder case was then used as leverage to extort the victim and his father.
Reacting to the development, DIG, Jalandhar Range, Naveen Singla said the Punjab Police had learnt about the allegations through the FBI’s official website.
“The SHO has been transferred to the Police Lines. To ensure a fair probe, an inquiry has been marked outside Hoshiarpur. SP (Detective), Jalandhar Rural, Vineet Ahlawat, has been directed to verify the allegations and submit a report at the earliest,” Singla said.
The case pertains to the January 14 murder of Balwinder Singh, owner of Satkartar Hardware Shop at Miani village, Hoshiarpur. According to the Punjab Police, three assailants opened fire at Balwinder Singh and his associate Lakhwinder Singh. Balwinder died on the spot, while Lakhwinder sustained injuries.
The police said responsibility for the murder was later claimed on social media by gangsters Gurlal Dadiana and Gurdev Jassal.
Tanda DSP Davinder Singh said the allegations could have been raised by the accused in an attempt to evade legal action in India. According to him, the investigation found the involvement of three non-resident Indians in the conspiracy. The three alleged shooters had been arrested and lodged in jail, while lookout circulars had been issued against the NRI accused and a red corner notice had been issued against another accused, Charanjeet Singh Channi.
“We have concrete evidence against the accused. The investigation is almost complete,” the DSP said.
The development also triggered political reactions, with SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia alleging that the case had brought disrepute to the Punjab Police. Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira also described the FBI charges as a serious blot on the force.