US charges Indian police officer for allegedly extorting Los Angeles family

The authorities in the United States on Tuesday charged Indian police officer Gurinderjit Singh for allegedly extorting $400,000 from a family in Los Angeles by threatening to file false murder cases against their relatives in India.

“I think he actually did file the murder charges against the family in India till the victim eventually agreed to pay the money,” First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli alleged at a press conference.

Essayli said that the police officer was not in custody, “but he will be shortly”. The US will seek the extradition of the officer from India, he added.

While the US authorities described Gurinderjt Singh as a “police chief”, it was unclear where he was posted. Singh is reportedly a station house officer in Punjab.

However, US federal indictments alleged that he colluded with members of an organised crime group led by Jaggu Bhagwanpuria to target perceived rivals with threats of false cases and demands for money, The Tribune reported.

The indictment alleges that in April, a California-based member of the Bhagwanpuria syndicate named Gurlal Singh threatened a victim in the United States before passing on the person’s details to a “corrupt law enforcement officer” in Punjab.

Gurinderjit Singh implicated the victim, as well as the victim’s father and sister in a murder case in Punjab in...

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