A US attorney this week announced the filing of murder-for-hire charges against Indian national Nikhil Gupta, accused of participating in a foiled plot to assassinate an American citizen in New York City. Nikhil Gupta, also known as ‘Nick’, was arrested by Czech authorities in June and is awaiting extradition.
The charges were unveiled in a Superseding Indictment unsealed on Wednesday in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. Though the prosecutors did not name the “target”, US officials have identified him as Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
The US indictment which identifies Pannu as “The Victim”, also identifies an Indian government employee as CC-1, who allegedly collaborated with others, including Gupta, to direct a plot to assassinate “a US citizen of Indian origin” residing in New York City. It alleges that Gupta, residing in India, is associated with CC-1 and has been involved in international narcotics and weapons trafficking.
Gupta’s Alleged Role Unveiled
CC-1 recruited Gupta in May to orchestrate the assassination of the Pannun, a vocal critic of the Indian government and leader of a US-based organisation advocating for the secession of Punjab, according to the indictment. Gupta, under CC-1’s direction, contacted a confidential source working with the DEA to contract a hitman for the murder. The hitman, an undercover DEA officer, was later agreed to be paid USD 100,000 by CC-1 in a deal brokered by Gupta.
Advancements in the Plot
In June, CC-1 provided Gupta with Pannun’s personal information, including his New York City address, phone numbers, and details about his daily life. Gupta, in turn, passed this information to the undercover officer. CC-1 instructed Gupta to provide regular updates on the progress of the assassination plot. In light of Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s June killing, Gupta informed the undercover officer that there was “now no need to wait” to kill Pannun.
Arrest and Charges
Czech authorities arrested and detained Gupta on June 30, based on the bilateral extradition treaty between the United States and the Czech Republic. Gupta faces charges of murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
US Attorney Damian Williams emphasised the gravity of the situation, saying, “We will not tolerate efforts to assassinate US citizens on US soil, and stand ready to investigate, thwart, and prosecute anyone who seeks to harm and silence Americans here or abroad.”
India’s Response
On Wednesday, India said it takes inputs on security matters from the US seriously. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) made these comments in response to queries about a report the US had thwarted an attempt to kill Pannun on American soil.
“During the course of recent discussions on India-US security cooperation, the US side shared some inputs pertaining to nexus between organised criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others,” said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi about discussions between India and US on security matters. He said the inputs were a cause of concern for both countries and they decided to take necessary follow-up action.
