Nikhil Gupta pleads guilty in US court in plot to murder Khalistani separatist
54-year-old Nikhil Gupta, who got extradited to the US from Czech Republic, has pleaded guilty before US Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in the plot to assassinate Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Nikhil Gupta has pleaded guilty in a Manhattan federal court in the United States (US) for his role in plotting the assassination of Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. 54-year-old Gupta, a dual American and Canadian citizen, has been lodged at the Brooklyn jail since June 2024 after he got extradited to the US from Czech Republic.
Gupta pleaded guilty before US Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn on Friday. His sentencing will be announced by US District Judge Victor Marrero on May 29. "Our message to nefarious foreign actors should be clear: steer clear of the United States and our people," said US Attorney Jay Clayton in a release.
Gupta has pleaded guilty to three criminal charges: first, murder-for-hire which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; second, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; and third, conspiracy to commit money laundering which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
A USD 100,000 deal to murder Pannun?
As per the court papers and the allegations that have been levelled against him, Gupta worked with several of those who were in India and other places, including co-defendant Vikash Yadav, as part of the assassination plot against Pannun in the US.
Following instructions from Yadav, Gupta contacted a hitman in the US to murder Pannun in the New York City. However, the hitman was an undercover officer with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). As part of the negotiations, Yadav had agreed to pay USD 100,000 to the undercover hitman. These negotiations were brokered by Gupta.
Around June 9, 2023, Gupta and Yadav had arranged to pay USD 15,000 in cash as advanced payment to the undercover agent for the plot. However, the plot was foiled after it was revealed that the hitman was an undercover DEA agent.
India says Gupta not an 'employee of government'
Gupta was arrested at the Vaclav Havel Airport in Prague, Czech Republic, in June 2023. He was extradited to the US in 2024. India has denied its involvement in the murder plot and described it as a 'rouge operation'.
"The US State Department informed us that the individual in the Justice Department indictment is no longer employed by India. I confirm that he is no longer an employee of the Government of India," said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in October 2024.