Who is Gurinderjit Singh Nagra? Punjab cop facing extradition to the US, linked to $400k extortion plot

GUrinderjit Singh Nagra, a Punjab constabulary inspector, is veneer extradition to the United States o'er an investigating involving union soldier agencies in the US, Canada and Europe, according to US law enforcement officials and court records made public on Tuesday.The development came as part of Operation Hard Ball, a large-scale action by authorities in the US and Canada against organised crime networks operating from Punjab to California.ALSO READ | US may seek extradition of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, two othersAs part of the operation, US courts unsealed indictments against gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi, Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and Ravinder Singh Dhanda.Who is Gurinderjit Singh Nagra?Nagra, a station house officer (SHO) at Tanda station in Hoshiarpur, was named in the investigation.After reports about his alleged role surfaced, the Punjab Police removed him from field duties, transferred him to the police lines and ordered a fact-finding inquiry, as mentioned in an earlier HT report.The allegations against Nagra are mentioned in a 44-page indictment submitted on June 25 to the US district court for the central district of California. American authorities publicly released the document on July 7.US authorities said they would actively seek Nagra's extradition to the United States. “That chief is not in custody yet, but he will be soon,” Essayli said.Why US is seeking his extraditionPolice inspector Nagra allegedly worked with members of Jaggu Bhagwanpuria's gang and attempted to extort nearly $400,000 (around ₹3.81 crore) from a family living in the United States by threatening to falsely implicate their relatives in Punjab in a murder case, US attorney Bill Essayli said.The indictment says that in April this year, Gurlal Singh, a 22-year-old illegal immigrant from India living in California’s Stockton and an alleged member of the Bhagwanpuria syndicate, passed on the identity and details of a California-based individual to Nagra as part of an extortion plan linked to a murder in Hoshiarpur.On January 15, 2026, Balvinder Singh, a local Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and owner of a hardware shop, was shot dead by three attackers in Miani village under the Tanda sub-division of the Hoshiarpur district. He was referred to as B.S. In the indictment.The following day, gangsters Jashal Chambal and Gurlal Rudiana claimed responsibility for the killing through a social media post shared from Rudiana's account.The indictment alleges that Nagra contacted the target's father on April 13 and threatened to frame the entire family, including the target's sister, in the murder case. Three days later, on April 16, he allegedly demanded money and warned that all three family members would be named as accused if they refused to pay.During a press conference on May 24, Nagra and deputy superintendent of police Davinder Singh Bajwa announced the arrest of the two alleged main shooters in the murder case, Gurman Singh and Sawaraj Singh from Panj Garayian village in Gurdaspur.The two officers said the accused were connected to US-based gangster Gurlal Singh. They described Balvinder Singh's murder as a contract killing and claimed the shooters had been paid ₹1.80 lakh for carrying it out.They also alleged that Balvinder Singh's daughter was involved in a marital dispute with her husband, Gurpreet Singh, who lives in California, and claimed he had planned the murder. Police later named Gurpreet, his father Charanjit Singh, a retired assistant sub-inspector of police, and his sister as accused in the case.However, the US indictment says Gurpreet, along with his father and sister, was actually the intended victim of the alleged extortion scheme.At the same press conference on May 24, police accused members of the California-based family of arranging the contract killing of Balvinder Singh.The indictment further says that Nagra continued to pressure the family, particularly Gurpreet’s sister. He allegedly offered to remove the names of two family members from the murder case if payment was made.Essayli told reporters that Nagra's final demand was $400,000 (approximately ₹3.81 crore).The indictment also says that between April 13 and June 5, Nagra attempted to acquire property in Los Angeles County.