Hoshiarpur, July 18: The Hoshiarpur police arrested Punjab Police Inspector Gurinderjit Singh Nagra on Saturday following his indictment by international law enforcement for his alleged role in an overseas extortion ring. The veteran officer, who previously served as the Station House Officer of the Tanda police station, was taken into custody after a detailed inquiry linked local operatives to the targeting of Indian-origin families residing in the United States.
The arrest follows an extensive investigation by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation into organized crime networks operating across international borders. According to official findings, the extortion racket specifically focused on families of Punjabi origin living abroad. The federal agency named the inspector as a key accused in a formal chargesheet filed on February 7 earlier this year, prompting immediate administrative and legal action by state authorities.
Administrative shifts were implemented by regional police leadership as soon as the officer’s involvement became clear. The Senior Superintendent of Police of Hoshiarpur ordered Nagra’s immediate transfer to the police lines shortly after his name surfaced in the unclassified documents. State security teams have since coordinated with central agencies to track the full extent of the officer’s operational involvement with the syndicate.
The broader international crackdown, designated as Operation Hardball, exposed extensive links between local personnel and established criminal syndicates. US federal documents state that the operation resulted in the arrest of more than 24 suspects belonging to gangs linked to Indian-origin individuals, alongside the recovery of 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, one kilogram of heroin, firearms, and currency. Investigators asserted that operatives were paid as little as 20,000 dollars to carry out killings in different parts of Punjab.
Local law enforcement confirmed that the investigation remains active as they look into the official’s alleged connections to prominent gang structures. Authorities affirmed that Gurinderjit was allegedly involved in an extortion racket that targeted Indian-origin families, primarily from Punjab, living in the US. Officials maintained that the cop was reportedly linked to the gangs of dreaded criminals Lawrence Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, adding that further details of the case would be shared later as the investigation is still in progress.
