Indian national Nikhil Gupta, aged 53, accused of participating in a murder-for-hire scheme against a Sikh activist on American soil, will now be tried in a US court, stated Attorney General Merrick Garland, emphasizing the nation's commitment to protecting its citizens from harm.
Gupta, also known as Nick, was apprehended in the Czech Republic on June 30, 2023, at the request of the US government for his alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York. He was extradited to the US on June 14.
Gupta pleaded not guilty during an appearance in federal court in New York on Monday, his attorney, Jeffrey Chabrowe, confirmed. "This extradition makes clear that the Justice Department will not tolerate attempts to silence or harm American citizens," said Garland on Monday.
"Nikhil Gupta will now face justice in an American courtroom for his involvement in an alleged plot, directed by an employee of the Indian government, to target and assassinate a US citizen for his support of the Sikh separatist movement in India," he said.
Gupta is charged by indictment with murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, each carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco condemned the alleged murder-for-hire plot by an Indian government employee to silence a political activist exercising his right to free speech, a cornerstone of American freedom.
"The defendant's extradition is an important step toward justice," Monaco said.
FBI Director Christopher Wray pledged to pursue every lead involving foreign nationals or others who plot to undermine constitutionally-protected freedoms in this country.
"We will continue working with our partners here at home and around the globe to guard our citizens and these precious rights," vowed Wray.
According to court documents, last year an Indian government employee (CC-1), alongside Gupta and others in India and elsewhere, allegedly conspired to direct an assassination plot against an attorney and political activist who is a US citizen of Indian descent on US soil.
Gupta, an Indian national residing in India, is reported to have ties to CC-1 and has discussed involvement in international drug and arms trafficking in communications with CC-1 and others, as per a media release.
CC-1, described as an Indian government agency employee with roles in security management and intelligence, purportedly directed the assassination plot from India, having previously served in India’s Central Reserve Police Force and received training in battle craft and weapons.
Federal prosecutors said CC-1 had enlisted Gupta to arrange the murder in the US in May of 2023.
According to sources, Pannun is an outspoken critic of the Indian government and runs an American-based group that advocates for Punjab—where many Sikhs live as an ethnic and religious Iranian minority in India—to secede from India, the feds said.
Prosecutors alleged that on CC-1’s orders, Gupta contacted an individual he believed to be a criminal associate, who was in fact a confidential source (CS) working with the DEA, seeking assistance in hiring a hitman to kill the victim in New York City.
“The CS introduced Gupta to a purported hitman, who was in fact a DEA undercover officer (the UC). CC-1 subsequently agreed, in dealings brokered by Gupta, to pay the UC USD 1,00,000 to murder the victim. On or about June 9, 2023, CC-1 and Gupta arranged for an associate to deliver USD 15,000 in cash to the UC as an advance payment for the murder. CC-1’s associate then delivered the USD 15,000 to the UC in Manhattan,” the prosecutors detailed.
In June 2023, in furtherance of the plot, CC-1 provided Gupta with personal information about the victim, including the victim’s address, phone numbers, and details of their daily routine, which Gupta reportedly passed on to the UC.
“Gupta directed the UC to carry out the murder as soon as possible, but Gupta also specifically instructed the UC not to commit the murder around the time of anticipated engagements scheduled to occur in the ensuing weeks between high-level US and Indian government officials,” prosecutors alleged.
After Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed outside a gurdwara in Canada on June 18, 2023, Gupta allegedly informed the UC that “he was also a target” and “we have so many targets.”
Around June 20, 2023, CC-1 reportedly sent Gupta a news article about the victim and messaged him, stating “(it’s) a priority now,” prosecutors asserted.
India has publicly announced a high-level investigation into evidence shared by the US regarding the alleged plot to target Pannun.
Read also | Nikhil Gupta Appears in US Court, Pleads 'Not Guilty' in Alleged Murder Conspiracy
Read also | Israeli War Cabinet Disbanded Following Key Resignations
