An Indian national has pleaded guilty in a US court to charges stemming from a foiled murder-for-hire plot targeting Sikh separatist figure Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York, according to American prosecutors.
The United States Department of Justice said Nikhil Gupta, 54, admitted to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering before a federal magistrate judge in Manhattan. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29, 2026, and faces a maximum possible sentence of 40 years in prison.
Court documents state that Gupta agreed to arrange the killing of a US citizen of Indian origin described as a New York-based attorney and political activist. While the indictment refers to the intended target as “the victim,” the individual is widely understood to be Pannun, who has been designated a terrorist under Indian law.
Indian authorities have listed Pannun under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and banned his organisation, accusing him of advocating the creation of a separate Sikh state, Khalistan. He operates from abroad and holds US citizenship.
US prosecutors allege that in 2023 Gupta was acting at the direction of Vikash Yadav, described in court filings as an employee of India’s Cabinet Secretariat, which oversees the country’s external intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing. Gupta allegedly sought to hire a contract killer to carry out the assassination on American soil.
Authorities said the individuals Gupta contacted were cooperating with law enforcement. He is accused of negotiating a $100,000 payment, arranging a $15,000 advance and providing detailed information about the target’s address, phone numbers and daily routine. The alleged plot was disrupted through an undercover operation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Prosecutors further claim Gupta advised delaying the killing so it would not coincide with the Indian prime minister’s state visit to the United States in June 2023. After the fatal shooting of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada later that month, Gupta allegedly indicated there was no longer a need to postpone the plan.
Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic in June 2023 and extradited to the United States in 2024.
The case has drawn diplomatic attention. In November 2023, New Delhi announced the formation of a high-level internal committee to examine the US allegations, stating it took the matter seriously while rejecting claims of state-sponsored wrongdoing. India’s response to Gupta’s guilty plea is awaited.
Comments are closed.