Documents filed in a US federal court reveal new charges against the alleged assassin, Nikhil Gupta, including money laundering, credit card fraud, drug and arms trafficking, and attempted murder of a person in Nepal or Pakistan.
According to the fresh court documents, US government lawyers claim that the alleged murder-for-hire plot was not limited to New York but also included plans to kill another person in Nepal or Pakistan.
Details of the Plot and New Evidence
US prosecutors allege that former Indian RAW officer Vikash Yadav promised to supply firearms and even arrange clearance for an aircraft to transport weapons from India. This was allegedly intended so Gupta could sell the weapons to a man he believed was a trafficker, who would, in turn, help him hire a hitman to target a Sikh separatist in the United States.
Planning in WhatsApp Messages:
- In WhatsApp messages dated June 22, 2023, Yadav allegedly promised to provide “assault rifles and pistols” and to “arrange for the clearance of an airplane to transport the weapons from India.”
- Prosecutors argue these exchanges show Yadav’s alleged support was conditional on Pannun’s assassination, directly linking the arms offer to the murder plot.
Multiple Targets and the Nepal Plot:
- Beginning in May 2023, when Yadav instructed Gupta to save his name as “Aman,” he told Gupta that there were multiple targets, including one in New York (the primary victim), another in California, and, by reference to addresses, at least one target in Nepal or Pakistan, according to a prosecutor’s letter.
- Attempted Murder in Nepal: Regarding the Nepal discussions, Yadav provided Gupta with the target’s location to pass on to hitmen, whom Gupta described as “soldiers.” On May 8, Gupta wrote to Yadav that the men had “already arrived [in Nepal] and were looking for” the target. Yadav pressed Gupta to increase their payment and stressed that the task was “urgent.” In one message, Yadav instructed: “If they have really captured the target, they should kill him. Otherwise, we won’t get another chance.”
- Prosecutors argued that communications between Yadav and Gupta about the Nepal task were “substantially similar” to their communications regarding the New York target, describing the Nepal plot as “strikingly similar” to the Pannun plan.
Arrest, Charges, and Official Response
Arrest and Extradition:
- Nikhil Gupta, also known as Nick, 53, was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30, 2023, and extradited to the United States under a bilateral treaty, arriving on June 14 to face murder-for-hire charges.
Statements from US Officials:
- Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated the extradition “makes clear that the Justice Department will not tolerate attempts to silence or harm American citizens.” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco called the plot “a brazen attempt to silence a political activist for exercising a quintessential American right: his freedom of speech.”
- FBI Director Christopher Wray emphasized that the bureau “will not tolerate attempts by foreign nationals… to repress constitutionally-protected freedoms in the United States.”
The Assassination Plot and Nijjar Link:
- Gupta allegedly conspired with an Indian government employee, identified as CC-1 (a former RAW officer), to target a US-based Sikh separatist leader who advocates for Khalistan.
- Gupta attempted to contract a hitman, who was actually a DEA undercover officer. CC-1 allegedly agreed to pay $100,000 for the murder, with an initial payment of $15,000 delivered in Manhattan in June 2023.
- The plot involved surveillance of the target. Gupta also instructed the operative to avoid carrying out the assassination during upcoming US-India diplomatic engagements.
- The murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar (associated with the target) in Canada on June 18, 2023, was linked to the plot, with Gupta informing the undercover operative that Nijjar “was also the target.”
Gupta faces charges of murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
