NEW YORK: An Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, pleaded guilty on Friday (Feb 13, local time) in a federal court in New York to participating in a failed plot to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an India-designated terrorist and US citizen, US authorities said.
The admission came before US Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in the Southern District of New York, nearly two years after Gupta’s arrest in Europe and extradition to the United States. He now faces sentencing on May 29, 2026, and could receive up to 24 years in prison.
The case, investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, has drawn diplomatic scrutiny because prosecutors allege the plot was coordinated at the direction of an Indian government employee. The intended target, a New York-based attorney advocating for Khalistan, has been banned in India.
What Nikhil Gupta admitted to in court
In a formal statement, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said:
“… NIKHIL GUPTA, a/k/a “Nick,” an Indian national, pled guilty to all three counts contained in the Second Superseding Indictment, charging him with murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, in connection with his efforts to murder a US citizen in New York City. GUPTA pled guilty today before US Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn and is scheduled to be sentenced by US District Judge Victor Marrero on May 29, 2026.”
The charges each carry significant statutory penalties. Murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire can attract up to 10 years each, while conspiracy to commit money laundering carries a maximum of 20 years. The court will determine the final sentence under federal guidelines.
According to the US Department of Justice, Gupta operated “at the direction and coordination of an Indian government employee” in arranging the planned killing.
How the alleged plot unfolded
Prosecutors have alleged that Gupta was approached in May 2023 by an Indian government employee, identified in court filings as CC-1 and later named as Vikash Yadav. The indictment states that Yadav was employed by India’s Cabinet Secretariat, which houses the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
Investigators say Gupta then reached out to a confidential source linked to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). That source introduced him to an undercover DEA officer posing as a contract killer.
Federal prosecutors allege that USD 100,000 was agreed upon as payment for the killing, and that USD 15,000 in cash was delivered in New York in June 2023 as an advance. Court filings state that Gupta shared the intended victim’s address, phone numbers, and surveillance information.
The Justice Department has also said that Gupta told the undercover officer not to execute the plan during the Indian Prime Minister’s state visit to the United States in June 2023.
Two days before that visit, Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in British Columbia, Canada. According to court documents, Gupta told the undercover officer the day after Nijjar’s killing that the Sikh separatist leader “was also the target” and “we have so many targets.”
FBI and prosecutors respond
In a post on X, the FBI said, “Following an investigation by FBI New York, and US Attorney SDNY, Nikhil Gupta pled guilty to plotting to assassinate a US citizen in New York City.”
FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky said, “Nikhil Gupta was a key participant in a murder-for-hire plot against a US citizen, a murder that was prevented thanks to the actions of US law enforcement.”
He added, “The US citizen became a target of transnational repression solely for exercising their freedom of speech. The message from the FBI should be clear – no matter where you are located if you try to harm our citizens we will not stop until you are brought to justice.”
US Attorney Jay Clayton said, “Nikhil Gupta plotted to assassinate a US citizen in New York City. He thought that from outside this country, he could kill someone in it without consequence, simply for exercising their American right to free speech. But he was wrong, and he will face justice.”
India’s position
On October 17, 2024, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that the individual named in the US Justice Department’s indictment was no longer employed by the Government of India.
“The US State Department informed us that the individual in the Justice Department indictment is no longer employed by India. I confirm that he is no longer an employee of the Government of India,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a press conference.
Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30, 2023, and subsequently extradited to the United States. - The Statesman/ANN
