Punjab Police Officer Among 37 Indicted by U.S. in Transnational Crime Crackdown

A Punjab Police officer is among 37 individuals charged by the United States Department of Justice in a sweeping crackdown on transnational criminal syndicates. The officer, identified as Gurinderjit Singh, is accused of working with gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria's network, which is involved in racketeering, targeted killings, extortion, and large-scale drug trafficking that primarily affects the Indian diaspora.

First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli announced the charges at a press conference. He confirmed that Gurinderjit Singh is currently not in custody but will be taken into custody shortly and extradited to the United States. The officer is alleged to have collaborated with Bhagwanpuria, a 38-year-old gangster incarcerated in India, who was once an associate of Lawrence Bishnoi—also named in the indictment—and later founded his own criminal enterprise in Punjab.

According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice, the Bhagwanpuria gang operates as a transnational criminal syndicate headquartered in India, with members across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The group includes over 1,000 members and associates worldwide, with more than 100 in the United States. The department alleges that the group corrupted law enforcement officers in India and partnered with corrupt government officials to assist in extortion schemes. It also provided false information to law enforcement in India to target perceived rivals, leading to baseless criminal proceedings and extortion plots.

The statement detailed a specific incident: In April 2026, Gurlal Singh, 22, a member of the Bhagwanpuria syndicate and an illegal alien from India residing in Stockton, California, threatened a victim and provided the victim's name to a corrupt law enforcement officer in Punjab. This led to the victim, the victim's father, and the victim's sister being falsely accused of a murder in India. The corrupt officer then extorted money from the victim and his father in connection with the false case.

Mr. Essayli said the police officer extorted approximately $400,000 from a family in Los Angeles. Another defendant, Gurdev Singh, 26, allegedly attempted to extort a family in the Midwest while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, threatening to shoot their children.

The charges were unsealed on July 8, 2026, spanning three indictments. Among the 37 defendants, two are alleged to have run their global criminal syndicates while imprisoned in India. Eleven individuals were arrested in California, one in Indiana, and one in Georgia, all to appear in federal court. Three were arrested in Canada, one in Spain, and seven were already in custody. Law enforcement continues to search for 10 fugitives: seven in the U.S., two in India, and one in Europe.

As part of the investigation, authorities seized approximately 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, 1 kilogram of heroin, $40,000 in cash, and a dozen firearms. A total of 34 search warrants were executed across California—23 in the Sacramento area and 11 in the Los Angeles area.