An Indian national has pleaded guilty in a US court to plotting the assassination of a Khalistani terrorist and US citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York in a $100,000 murder-for-hire scheme that US prosecutors say was directed by an Indian government employee.The US Department of Justice said Nikhil Gupta, 54, pleaded guilty before US Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29, 2026, before US District Judge Victor Marrero.According to the Justice Department, the plot targeted Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US citizen of Indian origin and leader of a US-based Sikh separatist organization advocating for the creation of Khalistan.“Nikhil Gupta plotted to assassinate a US citizen in New York City,” said US Attorney Jay Clayton. “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. Our message to all nefarious foreign actors should be clear: steer clear of the United States and our people.”

How the $100,000 murder plot was set up

According to the Second Superseding Indictment and statements made in court, Gupta worked with others in India and elsewhere, including co-defendant Vikash Yadav, who US authorities identified as an Indian government employee.Yadav was employed by the Government of India’s Cabinet Secretariat, which houses India’s foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing.“In or about May 2023, YADAV recruited GUPTA to orchestrate the assassination of the Victim in the United States,” the Justice Department said.At Yadav’s direction, Gupta contacted an individual he believed to be a criminal associate. That individual was in fact a confidential source working with the Drug Enforcement Administration.The confidential source introduced Gupta to a purported hitman who was actually a DEA undercover officer.“YADAV subsequently agreed, in dealings brokered by GUPTA, to pay the UC $100,000 to murder the Victim,” the release said. “On or about June 9, 2023, YADAV and GUPTA arranged for an associate to deliver $15,000 in cash to the UC as an advance payment for the murder.”

Surveillance, instructions and timing

Prosecutors said Yadav provided Gupta with the victim’s home address in New York City, phone numbers and details about his day-to-day conduct. Gupta allegedly passed that information to the undercover officer and provided Yadav with regular updates, including surveillance photographs.Gupta directed that the murder be carried out quickly but instructed that it should not occur around the time of the Indian Prime Minister’s official state visit to the United States in June 2023.On June 18, 2023, Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in British Columbia. The Justice Department said Nijjar was an associate of the intended victim and a leader in the Sikh separatist movement.“On or about June 19, 2023, the day after the Nijjar murder, GUPTA told the UC that Nijjar ‘was also the target’ and ‘we have so many targets.’ GUPTA also added that, in light of Nijjar’s murder, there was ‘now no need to wait’ on killing the Victim,” the release said.Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30, 2023, and later extradited to the United States.

Charges and potential sentence

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, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.“The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge,” the Justice Department said.

US agencies react

FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky said, “Nikhil Gupta was a key participant in a murder-for-hire plot against a U.S. citizen, a murder that was prevented thanks to the actions of U.S. law enforcement. The U.S. 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.”DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said, “It is often a slippery and dangerous slope from drug trafficking to deadly violence, as demonstrated by the murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by international narcotics and weapons trafficker Nikhil Gupta. This case is a stark reminder of the ruthless lengths criminals will go to in order to further their illegal enterprises. I commend the men and women of DEA’s New York Task Force Division for their outstanding investigative work successfully foiling Gupta’s assassination plot. Let there be no doubt: DEA remains steadfast in its mission to protect America. We will continue to leverage our superior investigative expertise and unmatched intelligence capabilities to dismantle the drug trafficking networks that threaten our safety and well-being of our communities.”FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. said, “At the direction and coordination of an Indian government employee, Nikhil Gupta plotted to assassinate a United States citizen on American soil, facilitating a foreign adversary’s unlawful effort to silence a vocal critic of the Indian government. The FBI will continue to aggressively defend the homeland against any foreign adversaries who target our citizens for exercising their constitutionally protected rights.”The case is being handled by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, along with the FBI and DEA. Gupta remains in custody and will be sentenced later this year.