Gupta pleads guilty in US over Pannun murder plot, DoJ alleges role of Indian govt employee

In a dramatic turn in the high-profile assassination plot targeting Khalistani separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Indian national Nikhil Gupta has pleaded guilty in a United States federal court to charges linked to a foiled murder-for-hire conspiracy in New York.

The 54-year-old admitted to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering before US Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in Manhattan. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29, 2026, by US District Judge Victor Marrero.

DoJ alleges direction from Indian govt employee

In a statement issued on February 13, the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) said Gupta “worked at the direction of an Indian government employee” in orchestrating the 2023 plot to assassinate Pannun, a US citizen and dual US-Canadian national residing in New York.

According to the DoJ’s second superseding indictment, Gupta acted in concert with others in India and elsewhere, including co-defendant Vikash Yadav, who was described as an employee of India’s Cabinet Secretariat at the time — the body that houses the country’s foreign intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing.

Prosecutors alleged that Gupta, who described himself in electronic communications as an international narcotics and weapons trafficker, played a central role in coordinating the plot. The intended killing, US authorities said, was thwarted by law enforcement action.

Quoting FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky, the DoJ stated: “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.”

Rozhavsky added that the intended victim was targeted in an act of “transnational repression” for exercising freedom of speech, warning that US authorities would pursue accountability regardless of where conspirators are located.

Arrest, extradition and plea reversal

Gupta has been lodged in a Brooklyn jail since his June 2024 extradition from the Czech Republic, where he was arrested in 2023 at the request of US authorities. He had initially pleaded not guilty following his extradition but reversed his position with February 13 guilty plea.

The charges carry significant penalties. Murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, while conspiracy to commit money laundering carries a maximum of 20 years. However, final sentencing will be determined by the court.

India distances itself

New Delhi has consistently dissociated itself from any alleged plot against Pannun, maintaining that such actions run contrary to government policy. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has previously termed the allegations “unwarranted and unsubstantiated.”

In October 2024, after US authorities unsealed a second superseding indictment identifying “CC-1” as Yadav, the MEA confirmed that the individual named was no longer employed by the Government of India.

“The US State Department informed us that the individual mentioned in the indictment is no longer employed by India. I confirm that he is no longer an employee of the Government of India,” the MEA had said.

India also constituted a high-level inquiry committee last year to examine security concerns raised by the United States, reiterating its commitment to addressing issues with implications for national security.

With Gupta’s guilty plea now on record, the case has entered a decisive phase — one that continues to carry diplomatic sensitivity and geopolitical ramifications far beyond the courtroom in Manhattan.