Web Desk: A man described by US prosecutors as a RAW associate pleaded guilty on Friday to orchestrating a failed murder-for-hire scheme targeting a Sikh separatist leader in New York, marking the first conviction connected to what authorities in the United States and Canada allege is a broader campaign against overseas dissidents.
Guilty Plea in Federal Court Nikhil Gupta, 54, entered his plea in federal court in Manhattan, admitting to charges of murder for hire, conspiracy to commit murder for hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Prosecutors said sentencing guidelines could expose him to a prison term of up to 24 years.U.S. officials identified Gupta as a RAW associate.
They did not describe him as an Indian citizen in court filings related to the plea.The Indian government has previously denied any involvement in plots targeting separatist activists abroad.
The intended victim, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, is a U.S. citizen and legal adviser to Sikhs for Justice, a New York-based organization advocating for the creation of an independent Sikh homeland in India’s Punjab region.Supporters of the separatist cause were present in the courtroom and raised slogans following the proceedings.
According to the indictment, an Indian government official identified as Vikash Yadav approached Gupta in May 2023 and tasked him with arranging the assassination. Court documents allege that Gupta portrayed himself as having connections to international narcotics and weapons networks in discussions tied to the plan.
Prosecutors said Gupta later reached out to someone he believed to be a criminal intermediary to secure a hit man in New York. That individual was, in fact, cooperating with U.S. authorities and introduced Gupta to an undercover agent posing as a contract killer from the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Yadav has been charged in the Southern District of New York with murder for hire and related conspiracy counts. He remains at large.
In mid-2023, the Biden administration sought to strengthen political and economic cooperation with India, including hosting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a state visit in Washington. Prosecutors have said a senior Indian official authorized the alleged plot during that period.
However, U.S. officials have also stated they found no evidence indicating that Modi was aware of the operation. Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic in June 2023 and later extradited to the United States in 2024 to face prosecution.The conviction represents the first successful prosecution stemming from U.S. and Canadian allegations that Indian operatives sought to target separatist figures abroad, claims New Delhi has strongly rejected.
