'Worked at Indian Official's Behest': Nikhil Gupta Pleads Guilty in Pannun Case

Nikhl Gupta has pleaded guilty to three counts. He will be sentenced on 29 May.

Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, has pleaded guilty on three counts in connection with a plot to assassinate Sikhs For Justice leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Indian national Nikhil Gupta, 54, has pleaded guilty to three charges at a US court in the plot to assassinate US-based pro-Khalistan leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

"Nikhil Gupta plotted to assassinate a US citizen in New York City...He thought that from outside this country, he could kill someone in it without consequence, simply for exercising their American right to free speech.  But he was wrong, and he will face justice," US Attorney Jay Clayton said on Friday.

"Our message to all nefarious foreign actors should be clear: steer clear of the United States and our people," Clayton added.

Gupta was charged with murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering and he has pleaded guilty to all three. His sentence will be announced on 29 May.

Gupta had been arrested in the Czech Republic in June 2023 and he was later extradited to the US for trying to assassinate Pannun, the legal advisor of pro-Khalistan group Sikhs for Justice.

Alleging the role of an Indian official, FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. said:

“At the direction and coordination of an Indian government employee, Nikhil Gupta plotted to assassinate a United States citizen on American soil, facilitating a foreign adversary’s unlawful effort to silence a vocal critic of the Indian government".

FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr.

The alleged Indian official has been identified as Vikash Yadav, who according to the US Justice Department has had a stint in India's Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) before joining India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

According to US officials, Gupta got caught because the hitman he contacted for the assassination, turned out to be an undercover officer of US' Drug Enforcement Agency.

What Was the Plot?

This is the timeline of the Pannun assassination plot according to the US Justice Department.

• Around May 2023, Yadav recruited Gupta to orchestrate the assassination of Pannun in the United States. At Yadav's direction, Gupta contacted an individual whom Gupta believed to be a criminal associate, but who was in fact a confidential source (CS) working with the DEA. Gupta sought assistance from the person to contract a hitman to carry out the murder in New York City. 

• "The CS introduced Gupta to a purported hitman, who was in fact a DEA undercover officer (the “UC”)," the Justice Department said.

• "Yadav subsequently agreed, in dealings brokered by Gupta to pay the UC $100,000 to murder the Victim. On or about June 9, 2023, Yadav and Gupta arranged for an associate to deliver $15,000 in cash to the UC as an advance payment for the murder."

• In or about June 2023, in furtherance of the assassination plot, Yadav provided Gupta with personal information about the "victim", including the home address in New York City, phone numbers and details daily routine, which Gupta then passed to the UC.

• Gupta thereafter provided Yadav with regular updates on the assassination plot, including surveillance photographs of the victim. Gupta directed the UC to carry out the murder as soon as possible, but specifically instructed the UC not to commit the murder around the time of the Indian Prime Minister’s official state visit to the United States, which was scheduled to begin on or about June 20, 2023.

• On or about June 18, 2023, approximately two days before the Indian Prime Minister’s state visit to the United States, masked gunmen murdered Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia, Canada. Nijjar was also part of Sikhs for Justice and an outspoken critic of the Indian government.

• On or about June 19, 2023, the day after the Nijjar murder, Gupta told the UC that Nijjar “was also the target” and “we have so many targets.” Gupta also added that, in light of Nijjar’s murder, there was “now no need to wait” on killing the victim.