Indian-origin Nikhil Gupta, accused of orchestrating a failed assassination plot targeting Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York, pleaded guilty on Friday. He faces a priso sentence of up to 24 years.
The FBI said the case highlights its commitment to protecting the United States from threats by foreign nationals targeting individuals exercising constitutionally protected rights.
“Following an investigation by FBI New York and the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Nikhil Gupta pleaded guilty to plotting to assassinate a US citizen in New York City,” the FBI said in a post on X.
The indictment alleges that Gupta was recruited in May 2023 by an Indian government official, Vikash Yadav, to arrange Pannun’s killing, detailing the alleged scheme in court filings.
However, Yadav was removed from his official post before charges were brought against him.
The Indian government set up a high-level committee in November 2023 to examine the US findings. Days before Donald Trump assumed office last year, the panel submitted its report, recommending legal action against Yadav without naming him, and noting that his “earlier criminal links and antecedents also came to notice during the enquiry.”
Who is Nikhil Gupta?
Gupta, an Indian citizen and resident, described himself in electronic communications with Yadav and others as an international narcotics and weapons trafficker, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
In May 2023, Yadav allegedly recruited Gupta to arrange the assassination of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States. Acting on Yadav’s instructions, Gupta contacted a person he believed to be a criminal associate — who was, in fact, a DEA confidential source — to help hire a hitman to carry out the killing in New York.
The source introduced Gupta to a supposed hitman who was actually an undercover DEA officer. According to the indictment, Yadav later agreed, through Gupta, to pay $100,000 for Pannun’s murder. On June 9, 2023, an associate allegedly delivered $15,000 in cash as an advance payment.
In June 2023, Yadav allegedly shared detailed personal information about Pannun with Gupta, including his New York home address, phone numbers and daily routine. Gupta is accused of passing this information to the undercover officer and providing Yadav with regular updates on the plot, including surveillance photographs of Pannun.
He also allegedly urged the officer to carry out the killing quickly but cautioned against doing so during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the United States, which was scheduled to begin around June 20, 2023.
On June 18, 2023 — two days before PM Modi’s visit — masked gunmen killed Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia, Canada. Nijjar, an associate of Pannun, was a Sikh separatist leader and a vocal critic of the Indian government.
The following day, Gupta allegedly told the undercover officer that Nijjar “was also the target” and that “we have so many targets,” adding that there was “now no need to wait” to kill Pannun, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30, 2023, and later extradited to the United States.
The 54-year-old Indian national has pleaded guilty to charges including murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The offences carry maximum sentences of 10 years, 10 years, and 20 years in prison, respectively.
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