U.S. federal prosecutors have revealed new details in an ongoing murder-for-hire case involving an Indian government intelligence official, stating the plot extended beyond the United States and included assassination of another indidivdiual in either Nepal or Pakistan.
Court documents filed this week in New York describe a conspiracy involving Indian national Nikhil Gupta and Indian intelligence officer Vikash Yadav, who has been identified in the media as a former RAW official.
The two are accused of attempting to orchestrate the killing of American citizen and Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Prosecutors now say the same plot also targeted “another individual in Nepal or Pakistan.”
The new details submitted in a court in New York also implicate Gupta in money laundering, credit card fraud, drug and arms trafficking.
The case has drawn international attention following the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh activist and associate of Pannun, who was fatally shot outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia.
Both Nijjar and Pannun were strong advocates for Khalistan, a proposed independent Sikh state in India.
The Sikh activists condemned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, which has labeled them as terrorists.
Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic in June 2023 and later extradited to the United States.
Yadav, an officer with India’s foreign intelligence service, is reportedly still in India.
The newly disclosed details come amid already strained geopolitical dynamics in South Asia, following heightened tensions between India and Pakistan earlier this year and India’s cautious relations with other neighboring countries.
India has denied any involvement in Nijjar’s assassination and has publicly rejected Canada’s accusations.
Regarding the U.S. case, Indian officials have said an internal inquiry found that the alleged plot may have involved rogue individuals acting outside of official channels. According to Bloomberg News, a person linked to the conspiracy was dismissed from service following an internal investigation.
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Iftikhar Ali is a veteran Pakistani journalist, former president of UN Correspondents Association, and a recipient of the Pride of Performance civil award
