Gurinderjit Singh Nagra, one of Punjab Police officer Gurinderjit Singh Nagra’s most recently under fire following allegations by U.S. prosecutors of connections to gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria’s organised crime network, has now been arrested in an extortion case. Police have now filed a case against him under the Extortion and Corruption Act and this is quite a significant step in an investigation that has gained attention in India and in the world.
Nagra, who was Station House Officer (SHO) of Tanda police station in the district of Hoshiarpur, had already been transferred to police lines after allegations emerged during a media briefing by the FBI. The allegations were a part of a worldwide campaign to crack down on transnational organised crime networks.
According to Punjab police officials an internal investigation had already begun against Nagra following the claims. His arrest is as the investigation into the allegations continues.
The controversy began after US prosecutors named Nagra in one of three indictments unsealed under “Operation Hard Ball,” a multinational law enforcement operation targeting organised crime groups that are alleged to be responsible for murder, extortion, drug trafficking, money laundering, and other serious crimes in the United States, Canada and Europe.
U.S. prosecutors say Nagra worked with the organised crime gang Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, the notorious gangster who has been accused of orchestrating crimes. They say he provided help to members of the gang to falsely implicate victims in a murder investigation and to extort money from those living abroad.
One of the most serious allegations is in Los Angeles regarding a family. US prosecutors alleged that the Bhagwanpuria gang provided details about a victim to Nagra who then threatened the victim's father with false murder charges unless he paid 400,000 US dollars, or Rs 4 crore. The prosecutors said the officer threatened to include the victim in the murder investigation if the payment was not made.
The allegations gained prominence after a video of an FBI media briefing aired on social media. The allegations against Nagra were outlined in the briefing by US officials as part of their broader investigation into international criminal networks.
However, the validity of the allegations made by US prosecutors has not been independently verified in India. Punjab Police also clarified that they have not received any official communication from the Government of India or the Punjab government confirming the claims made during the FBI briefing.
Following the controversy, the SSP of Hoshiarpur, Sandeep Kumar Malik, transferred Nagra to the police lines as a precautionary measure. The SSP also ordered a departmental inquiry to investigate the allegations as well.
That inquiry will be handled by a Superintendent of Police (SP) based in Jalandhar. The Punjab Police said the facts about the allegations will become clear only after the investigation has finished and any further action will be taken according to the findings of the inquiry.
The U.S. case forms part of a much bigger international investigation of 37 people accused of ties to three transnational organised crime groups. The criminal networks are alleged to operate in countries across the globe and to have been involved in extortion, drug trafficking, contract killings and money laundering.
Even as the US investigation goes on, Punjab Police has taken Nagra under arrest in light of this and it tells us officials are taking this issue seriously. It is expected that the arrest will give him more time to be questioned and the allegations about his links to organised crime in depth.
The case also exemplifies the growing cooperation of international law enforcement agencies to go after cross-border criminal syndicates. In India and the United States, the evidence needs to be established and any wider network of people that may have been involved and what happened and where did it come from, too.
The outcome of the Punjab Police inquiry, and any future communication from the U.S. government through official diplomatic or legal channels in the future, will be the key to the next step in this high profile case. Gurinderjit Singh Nagra remains under arrest, but investigators are still investigating the allegations of his actions.
