NEW YORK: New court documents reveal that an Indian intelligence operative allegedly orchestrated a global murder-for-hire scheme spanning the United States, Pakistan, and Nepal. Former RAW officer Vikash Yadav reportedly recruited Indian national Nikhil Gupta to target a US-based Sikh separatist leader advocating for Khalistan, promising him firearms and logistical support to execute the plot.
According to prosecutors, Gupta, 53, also faced charges including money laundering, credit card fraud, drug and arms trafficking, and attempted murder abroad. The scheme allegedly included multiple targets, including in New York, California, Nepal, and Pakistan. WhatsApp messages submitted as evidence reportedly show Yadav promising “assault rifles and pistols” and arranging aircraft clearance to transport the weapons from India, conditional upon completion of the murders.
Beginning in May 2023, Yadav instructed Gupta to operate under the alias “Aman” and provided target locations for hitmen, referred to as “soldiers.” Prosecutors said Gupta communicated regularly with the alleged hitmen and reported their progress to Yadav. Court filings describe a striking similarity between communications regarding targets in Nepal and the primary US target.
Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30, 2023, and extradited to the US under a bilateral treaty. Attorney General Merrick Garland condemned the plot as an attempt to “silence or harm American citizens,” while FBI Director Christopher Wray and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram praised international law enforcement cooperation.
The plot also intersects with the June 18, 2023, assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia, Canada. Gupta allegedly informed an undercover DEA operative that Nijjar was “also the target” and coordinated surveillance and payments.
Gupta faces charges of murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The case is being prosecuted by the Southern District of New York, with involvement from the FBI, DEA, and the Justice Department’s National Security Division.