US authorities on Wednesday announced charges against alleged India-linked organised crime figures, accusing them of running criminal networks that stretched from Punjab to North America.

The charges, announced by US federal prosecutors with the involvement of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), are part of Operation Hard Ball, a wider investigation that resulted in the arrest of 24 people across the United States, Canada and Europe, according to the US Department of Justice.

Prosecutors allege that the networks were involved in crimes including racketeering, targeted killings, shootings, extortion, international drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and other offences.

Among those named in the investigation are some of the most prominent figures associated with Punjab’s gang landscape — Lawrence Bishnoi, his associate Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar, and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria.

The investigation has also brought attention to an unusual allegation: the alleged involvement of a Punjab Police officer.

US prosecutors have accused Gurinderjit Singh Nagra, who was posted as Station House Officer (SHO) of Tanda police station in Hoshiarpur district, of assisting an extortion scheme linked to the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria network.

The allegations are contained in US court documents and remain to be proven in court.

Lawrence Bishnoi: The alleged leader of the network

Lawrence Bishnoi is the central figure in one of the criminal networks named in the US investigation.

Indian authorities have linked Bishnoi to multiple criminal cases over several years and have described him as the alleged leader of an organised crime group operating from Punjab and other parts of India.

According to US prosecutors, Bishnoi continued directing criminal activities even while in Indian custody through associates and intermediaries.

The indictment describes Bishnoi as the alleged decision-maker of the organisation — someone who approved operations, directed associates and maintained control over a network that prosecutors say extended beyond India.

US prosecutors have also alleged that the Bishnoi network was involved in international drug trafficking. The charges include allegations related to narcotics distribution, including cocaine trafficking, as well as the theft of drug shipments from rival criminal groups.

In the case related to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in 2023, US prosecutors have alleged that Bishnoi was involved in directing the operation through his associates.

The allegations against Bishnoi have not been tested in court.

Goldy Brar: The alleged overseas coordinator

Satinderjeet Singh, better known as Goldy Brar, is described by authorities as one of Bishnoi’s closest associates.

Brar became a widely known name in India after investigators linked him to the 2022 killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala.

US prosecutors describe Brar as a key figure in the alleged overseas operations of the Bishnoi network.

According to the allegations, Brar coordinated between India-based leadership and associates operating in North America. Prosecutors allege that he helped manage communications, organise criminal activities and coordinate operations outside India.

The charges describe him as an important link between the alleged leadership of the organisation and overseas operatives.

The FBI has also announced a reward of up to $50,000 (Rs 47 lac) for information leading to Brar’s arrest.

Prosecutors have also alleged that the wider network was involved in extortion and narcotics-related crimes.

Jaggu Bhagwanpuria: The alleged head of another criminal group

Jaggu Bhagwanpuria aka Jagdeep Singh is another major name in the US investigation.

Unlike Bishnoi and Brar, who are linked to one alleged organisation, Bhagwanpuria is described by US authorities as the alleged leader of a separate India-based organised crime group.

According to prosecutors, the Bhagwanpuria network was involved in allegations including extortion, violence, kidnappings, murder-for-hire, drug trafficking and weapons trafficking.

The allegations describe a group that targeted members of the Indian diaspora overseas, allegedly using threats against relatives in India to pressure victims into paying money.

US prosecutors allege that members of the network used intimidation and violence as tools to collect money and maintain control.

The case involving Punjab Police officer Gurinderjit Singh Nagra is connected to this network.

Gurinderjit Singh Nagra: ‘corrupt cop’

One of the most unusual elements of the investigation is the allegation involving Gurinderjit Singh Nagra, a Punjab Police officer who was posted as SHO of Tanda police station in Hoshiarpur district.

Initial descriptions of the indictment referred to a “corrupt law enforcement officer” in Punjab. Later reports identified the officer as Nagra.

US prosecutors have alleged that Nagra assisted members of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria network in an extortion scheme.

According to US prosecutors, the alleged extortion attempt involved a demand of $400,000 (Rs 3.8 crore) from a Los Angeles-based family. The indictment alleges that a California-based member of the Bhagwanpuria network first threatened the victim in the United States before passing the family’s details to a “corrupt law enforcement officer” in Punjab.

Prosecutors allege that Nagra then implicated the victim, along with his father and sister, in a murder case in India and used the threat of criminal charges to pressure the family into paying the money. US authorities have alleged that the officer had filed the murder charges before the victim eventually agreed to pay.

Prosecutors allege that this gave the criminal network additional leverage while demanding money from individuals connected to the United States.

The allegation is significant because it suggests that investigators are examining not only gang members but also possible support systems that allow criminal groups to operate.

Nagra has been accused, not convicted, and the allegations will have to be decided through legal proceedings.

After the allegations against Nagra emerged, Punjab authorities transferred him from Tanda Police Station to Police Lines, Hoshiarpur, pending an inquiry against him.

The Nijjar killing and the Canada connection

The investigation also includes allegations related to the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia, Canada.

Nijjar was a Canadian citizen and a prominent supporter of the Khalistan movement, which seeks a separate Sikh homeland. India had designated him a terrorist, while Nijjar and his supporters rejected allegations of involvement in militancy.

He was shot dead outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.

His killing became a major diplomatic flashpoint after Canada alleged that Indian government agents may have been involved in the assassination — a claim New Delhi has strongly denied.

The US charges against alleged gang members add another layer to the case. US prosecutors have alleged that Bishnoi and Brar were involved in directing the operation through a criminal network.

However, the criminal charges against alleged gang members do not by themselves establish that the Indian government was involved in the killing.

The case remains politically sensitive, with separate questions about alleged criminal involvement and Canada’s allegations against Indian officials.

The Indian government has not yet issued an official response to the latest US charges against alleged criminal networks with links to India.