Nikhil Gupta, accused in Pannu murder conspiracy case, confesses to plotting to kill Pannu
Hardeep Singh Nijjar and many others were on his target
New Delhi, February 14 (Manpreet Singh Khalsa):-An Indian man accused of plotting to kill Gurpatwant Pannu, a Sikh separatist leader in New York City, has pleaded guilty to three criminal charges in a federal court. Nikhil Gupta, 54, has pleaded guilty to murder for hire, conspiracy to commit murder for hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering, after which he could face up to 40 years in prison. The target of the alleged plot, Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, is an American citizen who advocates for Khalistan and the Khalistan movement demands an independent homeland for Sikhs in India. Prosecutors allege that Gupta was instructed to carry out the plot by an Indian government official, Vikas Yadav. India denies any involvement in the alleged plot to kill Pannu. US Attorney Jay Clayton said Nikhil Gupta conspired to kill an American citizen in New York City. Prosecutors allege that Gupta was recruited by an Indian government employee in May 2023, saying the pair met in Delhi to discuss the potential assassination. According to the indictment, the officer, Vikas Yadav, worked for the Cabinet Secretariat of the Indian government, which houses India's foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing. The indictment alleges that on Yadav's orders, Gupta contacted an individual to hire someone to carry out the murder in New York. Prosecutors said the man, who was a government informant, introduced Gupta to another man who posed as a hitman but was actually an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration officer. Prosecutors alleged that Yadav gave Gupta information about the target of the assassination, including his home address in New York and his phone number, which Gupta then gave to the alleged hitman. The target was an associate of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, also active in the Sikh separatist movement, who was killed by a masked gunman in Canada in June. Shortly after Nijjar's murder, Gupta allegedly told the alleged hitman that Nijjar "was also a target", and that "we have many targets". Pannu said Nikhil Gupta's guilty plea is judicial confirmation that India's Modi government had plotted a murder-for-hire on American soil. India has declared Pannu a wanted terrorist, although he denies the charge, claiming to be an activist advocating for Khalistan. Sikhs are a religious minority that makes up about 2% of India's population. Some groups have long called for a separate country for Sikhs, Khalistan.
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