Nikhil Gupta: The Indian Man Tied to a Khalistani Terror Assassination Plot
Nikhil Gupta: The Indian Man Tied to a Khalistani Terror Assassination Plot
Nikhil Gupta, a 54-year-old Indian national, pleaded guilty in New York to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to murder-for-hire and conspiracy to launder money in connection with an assassination plot against a US citizen.
In one of the high-profile cases that US authorities announced, a 54-year-old Indian national named Nikhil Gupta has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kill a US citizen in New York City. Gupta pleaded guilty to all the charges leveled against him that comprise murder-for-hire, conspiracy to murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to launder money nosocomitously.
These were under an organized assassination of a US citizen and a Khalistani terrorist, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, in New York City. In November 2023, the US Justice Department officials charged Gupta. This was not his first arrest, as in June 2023, he was arrested in the Czech Republic and extradited to New York to stand trial.
The officials reported that the man, named Nikhil Gupta or Nick, had pleaded guilty before US Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn. On May 29, he will be sentenced by the US District Judge Victor Marrero.
The Role of Gupta and His Connections in India
Gupta is an Indian citizen, and he resided in the country until his arrest. He identified himself as a global drug and weapon dealer. One such individual who was involved in this is Vikash Yadav, a co-defendant. Yadav had worked in the Cabinet Secretariat of the Government of India, which is home to the foreign intelligence agency of India, the Research and Analysis Wing.
In May 2023, the United States Attorney's Office reported that Yadav enlisted the help of Gupta to coordinate the assassination in the United States. Following the guidance of Yadav, Gupta phoned what he thought was a criminal accomplice. But it turned out to be an informant of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) (CS).
The informant paid a visit to Gupta and referred him to a so-called assassin, who was a DEA undercover agent (UC). Under the arrangements made by Gupta, Yadav later on admitted to paying $100,000 to the undercover agent to go ahead with the murder. On June 9, 2023, Yadav and Gupta had an associate send an associate to deliver an advance of money in the form of cash to the undercover officer, in the amount of $15,000.
Yadav also gave the home address of Pannun, his contact number, and details about the routine of Pannun to Gupta. Gupta had relayed this information to the undercover officer, and he frequently advised Yadav on the plan, even to the extent of sending him surveillance photographs of Pannun. The United States Attorney further stated that Gupta had asked the undercover agent not to execute the kill during the same period around which Prime Minister Narendra Modi was due to pay a state visit to the United States, which was to take place on June 20, 2023.
The Nijjar Murder Case
On June 18, 2023, an associate of Pannun and Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead by masked assassins outside a Sikh temple in Canada. On the following day, Gupta informed the undercover officer that Nijjar was the target too. He said that we have so many targets.
The United States Attorney's Office released a press statement that since Nijjar had been killed, it was no longer necessary to wait to kill the victim in New York.
Arrest Warrants
Gupta was arrested on June 30, 2023, in the Czech Republic, where he was subsequently extradited to the United States. He was guilty of Murder-for-hire (10 years imprisonment) and Conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire (10 years imprisonment), as well as Conspiracy to commit money laundering (20 years imprisonment). This is a maximum sentence of 40 years spent in prison that Gupta can face.
