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Hoshiarpur, July 9
The Punjab Police has shifted the Station House Officer of Tanda police station in Hoshiarpur district to the Police Lines after reports linked him to an extortion investigation reportedly being conducted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation under Operation Hard Ball. A fact-finding inquiry has also been ordered to examine the allegations. The office of the Deputy Inspector General, Jalandhar Range, said the decision was taken after taking cognizance of news reports and social media posts referring to Inspector Gurinderjit Singh Nagra in connection with allegations contained in a United States federal indictment against members of an India-based organized crime syndicate.
Pending verification of the facts, Inspector Gurinderjit Singh Nagra has been transferred from Tanda police station to the Police Lines in Hoshiarpur with immediate effect. The inquiry has been assigned to the Superintendent of Police, Investigation, Jalandhar Rural, who has been directed to examine all allegations and submit a detailed report at the earliest. Police said that further action, if required, will be taken in accordance with the law, based on the inquiry’s findings. The development comes after a federal indictment was unsealed in Los Angeles as part of Operation Hard Ball, an international crackdown announced by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California against India-based transnational organized crime groups.
According to reports, the indictment alleges that gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria operated a criminal syndicate from an Indian jail and that a Punjab Police officer attempted to implicate a United States-based family in a false murder case as part of an alleged extortion scheme involving a demand of 400,000 United States dollars. Reacting to the development, former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi demanded that a criminal case be registered against the officer, describing the allegations as serious.
Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring alleged that the case raised questions over the state government’s claims of clean governance, while Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia claimed the allegations had tarnished the image of the Punjab Police.
The Punjab Police said the inquiry is underway and appropriate legal action will be taken after the fact-finding investigation is completed.
