In a major legal case in the United States, 54-year-old Indian national Nikhil Gupta has pleaded guilty to plotting the murder of a US citizen in New York City. Nikhil Gupta admitted to all charges, including murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The plot targeted a US citizen and Khalistani activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York City. The charges were initially announced by the US Justice Department in November 2023. Nikhil Gupta was first arrested in June 2023 in the Czech Republic and later extradited to New York to face prosecution. He pleaded guilty before US Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn and is scheduled to be sentenced by US District Judge Victor Marrero on May 29.
Nikhil Gupta ’s Role and Connections in India
Gupta, a resident of India prior to his arrest, described himself as an international dealer in narcotics and weapons. A key associate was Vikash Yadav, employed by India’s Cabinet Secretariat, which houses the Research and Analysis Wing.
According to the US Attorney’s Office, Yadav recruited Nikhil Gupta in May 2023 to plan the assassination in the United States. Gupta reached out to someone he believed to be a criminal associate, who was actually a DEA confidential source. The source then introduced Gupta to a supposed hitman, who was in fact an undercover DEA officer.
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Under Yadav’s direction, Nikhil Gupta coordinated payments, including $100,000 promised for the hit, and delivered $15,000 as an advance. Gupta also passed along Pannun’s home address, phone numbers, daily routines, and surveillance photos to the undercover officer while regularly updating Yadav. He instructed that the killing be postponed around Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US in June 2023.
Connection to Nijjar Murder
On June 18, 2023, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist linked to Pannun, was killed outside a Sikh temple in Canada. The following day, Gupta informed the undercover officer that Nijjar “was also the target” and suggested that “now there is no need to wait” to kill Pannun.
Arrest and Charges
Nikhil Gupta was arrested on June 30, 2023, in the Czech Republic and extradited to the US. He pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire (up to 10 years), conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire (up to 10 years), and conspiracy to commit money laundering (up to 20 years), facing a combined maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.