The United States on Thursday charged Vikash Yadav, a former officer of India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), over an alleged assassination plot targeting a Sikh separatist in New York City last year, the US department of justice (DOJ) said in a statement.
“The defendant, an Indian government employee, allegedly conspired with a criminal associate and attempted to assassinate a US citizen on American soil for exercising their First Amendment rights,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said.
As per the statement by the DoJ, in May 2023, Yadav recruited Nikhil Gupta to arrange the assassination of against Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen in the US. Gupta, an Indian national with a background in narcotics and weapons trafficking, contacted someone he thought was a criminal associate, who was actually a DEA confidential source. The source connected him with an undercover officer posing as a hitman. Yadav agreed to pay $100,000 for the murder and arranged for a $15,000 advance payment, delivered in Manhattan.
Yadav and Gupta face charges of murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, each carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years, as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering, which can result in up to 20 years. A federal judge will decide their sentences based on US sentencing Guidelines.
Meanwhile, the US government said that India had informed them of Yadav's removal from government service.
US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed that the individual named in the Justice Department's indictment related to the assassination plan of Pannun is no longer employed by the Indian government.
"We updated the members of the committee of inquiry about the investigation that the US has been conducting and we have received an update from them on investigations that they have been conducting. It was a productive meeting. They did inform us that the individual who was named in the justice department indictment is no longer an employee of the Indian government," he said.
Nikhil Gupta, was extradited from the Czech Republic to the US in June, 2023 where he pleaded 'not guilty.' Gupta, 53, was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30 and arrived in the US on June 14.
“The defendant, an Indian government employee, allegedly conspired with a criminal associate and attempted to assassinate a US citizen on American soil for exercising their First Amendment rights,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said.
As per the statement by the DoJ, in May 2023, Yadav recruited Nikhil Gupta to arrange the assassination of against Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen in the US. Gupta, an Indian national with a background in narcotics and weapons trafficking, contacted someone he thought was a criminal associate, who was actually a DEA confidential source. The source connected him with an undercover officer posing as a hitman. Yadav agreed to pay $100,000 for the murder and arranged for a $15,000 advance payment, delivered in Manhattan.
Yadav and Gupta face charges of murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, each carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years, as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering, which can result in up to 20 years. A federal judge will decide their sentences based on US sentencing Guidelines.
Meanwhile, the US government said that India had informed them of Yadav's removal from government service.
US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed that the individual named in the Justice Department's indictment related to the assassination plan of Pannun is no longer employed by the Indian government.
"We updated the members of the committee of inquiry about the investigation that the US has been conducting and we have received an update from them on investigations that they have been conducting. It was a productive meeting. They did inform us that the individual who was named in the justice department indictment is no longer an employee of the Indian government," he said.
Nikhil Gupta, was extradited from the Czech Republic to the US in June, 2023 where he pleaded 'not guilty.' Gupta, 53, was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30 and arrived in the US on June 14.
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