Punjab Police shifts SHO from Hoshiarpur, orders probe after US indictment allegations

Hoshiarpur (Punjab), Jul 8 (PTI) The Punjab Police on Wednesday shifted an SHO in Hoshiarpur district to the Police Lines in an extortion-related investigation reportedly undertaken by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The Punjab Police also ordered a fact-finding inquiry, taking cognisance of news reports and social media posts linking Inspector Gurinderjit Singh Nagra, Station House Officer (SHO) of Tanda police station in Hoshiarpur district, to allegations contained in a US federal indictment against members of an India-based organised crime syndicate. The action came a day after the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced a coordinated international crackdown, code-named "Operation Hard Ball", against India-based transnational organised crime groups, resulting in arrests in the United States, Canada and Europe. In a statement, the office of the deputy inspector general (DIG), Jalandhar Range, said it has taken cognisance of "news reports and social media posts referring to the alleged naming of Inspector Gurinderjit Singh Nagra, presently posted as SHO, Police Station Tanda, Hoshiarpur district, in connection with an extortion-related investigation reportedly undertaken by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) under 'Operation Hard Ball'." "Pending verification of the facts, Inspector Gurinderjit Singh Nagra has been shifted from Police Station Tanda to Police Lines, Hoshiarpur, with immediate effect," the statement said. It further said that a formal fact-finding inquiry into the matter has been ordered by the DIG, Jalandhar Range, and entrusted it to the superintendent of police (investigation), Jalandhar Rural. The inquiry officer has been directed to examine the allegations and all relevant facts and submit a detailed report at the earliest. Further action, if warranted, will be taken strictly in accordance with the law on the basis of the inquiry findings, the statement added. The federal indictment was unsealed in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The action came a day after the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced a coordinated international crackdown against India-based transnational organised crime groups. According to reports, the indictment alleges that gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria operated the criminal syndicate from an Indian jail and Gurinderjit Singh, described as a police officer in Punjab, attempted to implicate a US-based family in a false murder case in India. The indictment alleges that the victims were asked to pay USD $400,000 as part of the alleged extortion scheme, which involved the use of false criminal proceedings in India as a means of coercion. Notably, the US has also charged Lawrence Bishnoi, a gangster imprisoned in India, and his aide Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar for ordering the assassination of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. According to a federal indictment unsealed in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Bishnoi ordered the killing of 45-year-old Nijjar, mentioned as 'HSN' in court documents. In a coordinated action named 'Operation Hardball', the law enforcement agencies of the US, Canada and Europe arrested 24 persons, 11 of them in California connected to three India-based transnational organised crime groups charged with a litany of criminal acts, including Nijjar's assassination. PTI COR SUN VSD KSS KSS KSS