First Of A Kind Say Red Faced Punjab Police Officials On Fbi Charges Against Sho

The charges against inspector Gurinderjit Singh Nagra by the US law-enforcement agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), have left the Punjab Police red-faced, with senior officials terming the case a “first of its kind” in the history of the state’s police force.

According to the 44-page federal indictment unsealed in Los Angeles as part of the FBI’s Operation Hard Ball, Nagra, the station house officer (SHO) of Tanda police station in Hoshiarpur district, conspired with the notorious Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang. Nagra is accused of trying to extort $400,000 (approximately ₹3.81 crore) from a Los Angeles-based family by threatening to frame their relatives in Punjab for murder.

“It is an unprecedented case; it has never happened in the history of Punjab Police that a cop has been charged by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the topmost probe agency in the world. The actual facts will come out in the report of a fact-finding inquiry already ordered,” a senior police official said on the condition of anonymity.

Officials said while local police routinely maintain communication with gangsters for intelligence gathering, Nagra crossed the line. “In this case, the officer seems to have fallen into the trap of foreign gangsters and started taking directions from them,” said another Jalandhar-based official. “The FBI likely has concrete evidence, which is why they are seeking his extradition from Indian authorities.”

The extortion plot stems from a January 15, 2026, incident where three motorcycle-borne gunmen shot and killed shop owner Balwinder Singh at his hardware store in Tanda. While gangsters Jashal Chambal and Gurlal Rudiana claimed responsibility on social media, inspector Nagra allegedly used the murder file to construct his scam. Armed with target details supplied in April by Gurlal Singh—a Stockton-based Bhagwanpuria gang member — Nagra contacted California resident Gurpreet Singh’s father on April 13, threatening to frame the entire family for Balwinder’s killing. By April 16, Nagra demanded a $400,000 payout, warning the family they would be formally named as co-conspirators in the murder FIR if they failed to pay.

When the family seemingly refused to bow to the extortion demands, Nagra followed through on his threat. During a press conference on May 24, Nagra and DSP Davinder Singh Bajwa announced the arrest of two contract shooters, Gurman Singh and Swaraj Singh. The police officials publicly claimed that the duo executed the killing for ₹1.8 lakh over a marital dispute involving Balwinder’s daughter and her US-based husband, Gurpreet Singh. Consequently, Punjab Police framed Gurpreet, his sister, and father Charanjit Singh, a retired assistant sub-inspector of police, as co-conspirators.

Following the FBI’s revelations, Jalandhar Range DIG Naveen Singla immediately transferred Nagra to the Hoshiarpur Police Lines and ordered a fact-finding inquiry, which has been entrusted to Jalandhar Rural superintendent of police (investigation) Vineet Ahlawat.

“The inquiry officer has initiated a detailed investigation into the matter to examine the allegations and all relevant facts and submit a detailed report at the earliest. If warranted, punitive action will be taken against the erring officer,” DIG Singla said.

Considered a “blue-eyed boy” of senior police officials, Nagra is no stranger to controversy.

On May 30, while heading the Tanda police station, his team filed a daily diary report (DDR) alleging the beadbi (sacrilege) of the Aam Aadmi Party’s broom election symbol. Nagra placed Arshdeep Singh, a resident of Ahiyapur village, in preventive custody for two days, triggering a political storm and state-wide protests by opposition parties.

Previously, during his stint at the state special operation cell (SSOC) in Amritsar, Nagra was among the key officials who arrested Amritpal Singh, the Waris Punjab De founder and Tarn Taran member of Parliament, in 2023. Nagra later travelled to Assam’s Dibrugarh prison to interrogate Amritpal regarding the Ajnala police station siege.

Navrajdeep Singh is a senior staff correspondent. He covers agriculture, crime, local bodies, health and education in the Patiala district of Punjab.