Nikhil Gupta, an Indian citizen, has been charged by US federal prosecutors in connection with an alleged assassination plot against Khalistani separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York City.
Washington/New York: US federal prosecutors on Wednesday charged an Indian national for his role in a now-foiled plot to assassinate New York-based Khalistani separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on US soil.
Nikhil Gupta, 52, has been charged by authorities with murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire. If convicted, both charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and will run concurrently under U.S. law, which could mean a possible 20-year prison sentence if convicted, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Matthew G. Olsen said.
A $100,000 hit
According to authorities, Gupta agreed to pay $100,000 to an assassin and kill the Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.
“On or about June 9, 2023, CC-1 and GUPTA arranged for an employee to deliver $15,000 in cash to the UC in Manhattan, New York, as a down payment for the murder,” the indictment said.
The indictment does not name the U.S. citizen, but The Financial Times reported last week, citing unnamed sources, that U.S. authorities have foiled a plot to assassinate banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun , and issued a warning to the Indian government over concerns it was involved in the plot.
Attempted assassinations of American citizens will not be tolerated
“As alleged, the defendant conspired from India to murder here in New York City an American citizen of Indian descent who has publicly advocated the creation of a sovereign state for Sikhs, an ethno-religious minority group in India,” the statement said. United States Attorney. for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams said in a statement.
Williams said his Office and law enforcement partners have neutralized this “deadly and outrageous threat.” We will not tolerate attempts to murder American citizens on American soil, and stand ready to investigate, thwart and prosecute anyone who seeks to harm and silence Americans here or abroad.
The Superseding Indictment unsealed Wednesday by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and other public court documents detail the alleged plot involving Gupta.
Gupta extradited from Czechoslovakia
Around May 2023, Gupta was recruited by an individual to orchestrate the victim’s murder in the United States.
Prosecutors said Czech authorities arrested and detained Gupta on June 30, 2023, under the bilateral extradition treaty between the United States and the Czech Republic.
Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic at the request of the United States in connection with his participation in the plot to kill the individual. It was not immediately clear when Gupta would be extradited to the US.
India sets up a high-level committee to investigate the allegations
The development came on a day when India said it has set up a high-level fact-finding committee to probe allegations related to a conspiracy to kill the Sikh extremist on US soil.
On Wednesday, State Department spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the US shared a number of “inputs” regarding the relationship between organized criminals, arms smugglers and terrorists and that India takes such inputs seriously as they also “affect our national security interests ” and that relevant departments were investigating the matter.
India set up a high-level inquiry committee on November 18 to look into all relevant aspects of the case, he said.
Nijjar murder
India’s bilateral ties with close US ally Canada have been in freefall since September after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused New Delhi of plotting the killing of another Sikh separatist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, on Canadian soil in June this year. have orchestrated.
In September, just days after the G20 summit in India, Trudeau alleged “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the June 18 assassination of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. India had classified Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.
Earlier this month, Trudeau accused New Delhi of “violating” the Vienna Convention by “forcing” more than 40 Canadian diplomats to leave the country after threatening to revoke their diplomatic immunity. The Canadian Prime Minister emphasized that a “fight” with India is something Canada does not want at this time and Ottawa wants to “work constructively” with New Delhi on this “very serious matter” (referring to Nijjar’s murder).
(With PTI inputs)