An Indian man has admitted to American criminal charges for his involvement in a thwarted scheme supported by the Indian government to assassinate a Sikh separatist residing in New York City. Nikhil Gupta, aged 54, pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
U.S. prosecutors alleged that Gupta conspired with an Indian government official to target Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen and advocate for a sovereign Sikh state in India. Despite India’s denial of any involvement in the plot against Pannun, Gupta’s actions have strained relations between the countries.
The case also referenced the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., in June 2023, which Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau later linked to the Indian government. Gupta confessed before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in a New York federal court, admitting to paying $15,000 to someone in New York to carry out the murder.
Gupta, who has been in custody in Brooklyn since his extradition from the Czech Republic in June 2024, is set to be sentenced on May 29. The prosecution revealed that Vikash Yadav, an Indian government official, recruited Gupta in May 2023 for the assassination plot against Pannun, involving discussions of international criminal activities.
Court documents disclosed that Yadav, supposedly an accomplice, arranged a $100,000 payment to an undercover officer posing as a hitman to eliminate Pannun. The covert officer received an initial $15,000 from Gupta and Yadav as an advance for the murder. While Gupta faces impending sentencing, Yadav, also charged in the case, remains at large.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton condemned Gupta’s actions, emphasizing that plotting against a U.S. citizen for exercising their freedom of speech would not go unpunished. The unfolding events have underscored the complex diplomatic dynamics between the U.S., Canada, and India surrounding alleged assassination plans targeting Sikh dissidents.