Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): A serving Station House Officer (SHO) of the Punjab Police has been arrested in connection with an alleged ₹4 crore extortion case that surfaced during an international investigation into organised crime. The development follows an internal inquiry after the officer’s name reportedly emerged during the FBI-led “Operation Hard Ball,” which examined overseas links of Punjab-based gangster syndicates.
The accused, Inspector Gurindrajit Singh Nagra, who was posted as SHO in Hoshiarpur district, had earlier been shifted to the Police Lines after the allegations came to light. Senior police officials subsequently ordered a detailed departmental investigation into the matter.
According to officials, the inquiry found sufficient grounds to initiate criminal proceedings. A case was registered against the officer late on Friday under provisions related to extortion and the Prevention of Corruption Act, following which he was taken into custody.
Investigators are examining allegations that the SHO allegedly demanded ₹4 crore from a family while purportedly leveraging the influence of organised criminal networks. Authorities are also looking into claims that the case may have connections with notorious gangster groups associated with Lawrence Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, whose networks have frequently come under scrutiny in both India and abroad.
The investigation was supervised by senior Punjab Police officers after Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Navin Singla ordered the officer’s transfer from active field duty and entrusted the probe to SP Vineet Ahlawat.
Officials said financial transactions, communication records and other digital evidence are being analysed to establish the extent of the accused officer’s alleged involvement and to determine whether additional individuals were part of the conspiracy.
Punjab Police has not ruled out further arrests as the investigation progresses. The case has drawn significant attention because it involves a serving police officer and allegations of possible links between law enforcement personnel and organised crime networks operating across international borders.
Authorities maintain that the investigation is ongoing and have assured that appropriate legal action will be taken based on the evidence collected.
