New Delhi: Asserting that Indian prisons have not done enough to stop gang leaders such as Lawrence Bishnoi, and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria from carrying on their criminal activities, the US said Tuesday that it will seek their extradition and all those charged and linked to transnational crimes including Gurinderjit Singh Nagra, the Punjab Police Station House Officer.
Bill Essayli, the First Assistant United States Attorney in response to questions from the media, made it clear that despite being in Indian prisons, Bishnoi and Bhagwanpuria are able to continue not only leading their criminal networks, but also expand their activities.
“Some of these guys are already in jail cells in India, so obviously that’s not enough to restrain their activities. When they come to a federal penitentiary here in the United States, I guarantee you he won’t be extorting any more victims once he’s in our custody for, hopefully, a very long time,” said Essayli.
Amongst those Essayli made clear that the US will seek extradition includes Gurinderjit Singh Nagra, the Punjab Police inspector who allegedly threatened a family living in California with criminal charges in India unless they paid out $400,000.
“Yeah, we are seeking, we have charged him and we will extradite him to the U.S,” said Essayli when questioned whether the US would push for Nagra’s extradition.
Essayli defended the ability of US authorities to prevent the continued functioning of these gangs if the leaders are in American custody and lodged in Federal prisons. Bishnoi, for example, was arrested by Indian authorities in 2015.
However, the US Justice Department alleges that Bishnoi was able to expand the footprint of his criminal enterprise through trusted lieutenants and regional leaders. Bishnoi was moved to a prison in Gujarat in 2023.
“The Bureau of Prisons has the personnel and policies in place to prevent [continued communications] that. Their calls are recorded. There’s a lot of measures that go into that, and also our attorneys will be watching for any of that activity as well. But no, the Bureau of Prisons is well-equipped to handle that sort of activity,” said Essayli when questioned by the media.
He added that those indicted will be placed in “either max or super max facilities, where they don’t have access to communications like they do”. Communications of leaders already in prison with their networks have been intercepted by American authorities according to the Justice Department.
Maximum and super maximum facilities are specialised, highly secured jails in the US that are used to hold prisoners. There remains only one super maximum security facility run by the federal government in the US – ADX Florence.
Essayli made it clear that the US will seek the extradition of Nagra, the Punjab Police inspector who allegedly worked with members of Jaggu Bhagwanpuria’s criminal network to extort Indian community members living abroad. Nagra served as a Station House Officer (SHO) at the Tanda police station in Hoshiarpur district.
Nagra has since been shifted to Police Lines in Hoshiarpur by Punjab Police pending an inquiry following the claims made by US authorities of his alleged links to the Bhagwanpuria gang. Punjab Police’s fact-finding inquiry will be led by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Jalandhar Rural, according to media reports.
The First Assistant United States Attorney explained that Nagra was allegedly involved in a $400,000 extortion scheme, working with Gurlal Singh of Stockton, California to extort the victims living in the US. Nagra, it is alleged, threatened to frame three non-resident Indians in the murder of an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader in Hoshiarpur district.
The three non-resident Indians were charged with being behind the murder of an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader in Hoshiarpur district – Balvinder Singh Satkartar, who was killed in January 2026.
Three individuals accused of killing Satkartar are currently in custody, while Punjab Police maintains that its investigation unearthed links between the three non-resident Indians living abroad and the killing, according to media reports.
The US Department of Justice unveiled three indictments against Indian-origin transnational gangs Tuesday. Amongst those indicted include Lawrence Bishnoi, Bhagwanpuria and a criminal organisation led by Ravinder Singh Dhanda.
Amongst the charges against Bishnoi includes ordering the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, an Indian designated terrorist. Nijjar was killed in Canada in June 2023. Months later then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian government agents of being linked to the plot behind the killing of Nijjar – an allegation rejected by New Delhi.
On Tuesday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) clarified that its investigation into the Nijjar killing found no role of Indian government officials.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)