Indian man pleads guilty in US over plot to kill Sikh separatist leader

Indian national Nikhil Gupta, accused of being involved in a murder-for-hire plot against a Sikh extremist on American soil, on Friday pleaded guilty to the charges.Gupta, 54, pleaded guilty to charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, in connection with his efforts to murder Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York. Pannun holds dual American and Canadian citizenship.
Gupta pleaded guilty before US Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn and is scheduled to be sentenced by US District Judge Victor Marrero on May 29. Gupta pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said in a statement. According to the allegations contained in the indictment, other public court documents, and statements made in court, Gupta worked together with others in India and elsewhere, including, with co-defendant Vikash Yadav to plot Pannun’s assassination on US soil.
At Yadav’s direction, Gupta contacted an individual whom he believed to be a criminal associate, but who was in fact a confidential source working with the Drug Enforcement Administration for assistance in contracting a hitman to murder Pannun in New York City. Yadav subsequently agreed, in dealings brokered by Gupta, to pay the undercover officer USD 100,000 to murder the victim. On or about June 9, 2023, Yadav and Gupta arranged for an associate to deliver USD 15,000 in cash to the undercover officer as an advance payment for the murder.