US Justice Dept Charges Indian Govt Official in Pannun Murder-for-hire Plot
Moneylife Digital Team 18 October 2024
The US justice department has filed charges of murder-for-hire and money laundering against Indian government employee Vikash Yadav, also known as Vikas, and Amanat, in connection with his role in directing a foiled plot to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil around the state visit of prime minister (PM) Narendra Modi.
 
In an indictment filed in a US court in New York, the department claimed that Mr Yadav was employed by the cabinet secretariat which houses India's foreign intelligence service, the research and analysis wing (RAW). 
 
"As alleged, last year, we foiled an attempt by Mr Yadav, an Indian government employee, and his co-conspirator, Nikhil Gupta, to assassinate an American citizen on US soil. Today's charges demonstrate that the justice department will not tolerate attempts to target and endanger Americans and to undermine the rights to which every US citizen is entitled," says attorney general Merrick B Garland in a statement.
 
"The defendant, an Indian government employee, allegedly conspired with a criminal associate and attempted to assassinate a US citizen on American soil for exercising their First Amendment rights," said Christopher Wray, director of the federal bureau of investigation (FBI). "The FBI will not tolerate acts of violence or other efforts to retaliate against those residing in the US for exercising their constitutionally protected rights. We are committed to working with our partners to detect, disrupt, and hold accountable foreign nationals or others who seek to engage in such acts of transnational repression."
 
According to the statement, as alleged in the second superseding indictment and other public court documents, in 2023, Mr Yadav, working together with others, including Mr Gupta, in India and elsewhere, directed a plot to assassinate on US soil Mr Pannun, an attorney and political activist who is a US citizen of Indian origin residing in New York city.
 
It further says in or about May 2023, Mr Yadav recruited Mr Gupta to orchestrate the assassination of Mr Pannun in the US. Mr Gupta is an Indian national who resided in India and has described his involvement in international narcotics and weapons trafficking in his communications with Mr Yadav and others. 
 
"At Mr Yadav's direction, Mr Gupta contacted an individual whom Mr Gupta believed to be a criminal associate, but who was in fact a confidential source (the CS) working with the drug enforcement administration (DEA), for assistance in contracting a hitman to murder the victim in New York city. The CS introduced Mr Gupta to a purported hitman, who was in fact a DEA undercover officer (the UC). Mr Yadav subsequently agreed, in dealings brokered by Mr Gupta, to pay the undercover officer US$100,000 to murder the victim. On or about 9 June 2023, Mr Yadav and Mr Gupta arranged for an associate to deliver US$15,000 in cash to the UC as an advance payment for the murder. Mr Yadav's associate then delivered the US$15,000 to the UC in Manhattan," it says.
 
In or about June 2023, in furtherance of the assassination plot, the justice department alleges that Mr Yadav provided Mr Gupta with personal information about the Sikh separatist, including his home address in New York city, phone numbers associated with him, and details about Mr Pannun's day-to-day conduct which Mr Gupta then passed to the UC. "Mr Yadav directed Mr Gupta to provide regular updates on the progress of the assassination plot, which Mr Gupta accomplished by forwarding to Mr Yadav, among other things, surveillance photographs of the victim. Mr Gupta directed the UC to carry out the murder as soon as possible, but Mr Gupta also specifically instructed the UC not to commit the murder around the time of the Indian PM's official state visit to the US, which was scheduled to begin on or about 20 June 2023."
 
The statement also mentions the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia, Canada by masked gunmen. "On or about 19 June 2023, the day after the Nijjar murder, Mr Gupta told the UC that Mr Nijjar 'was also the target' and 'we have so many targets'. Mr Gupta added that, in light of Mr Nijjar's murder, there was 'now no need to wait' on killing Mr Pannun. On or about 20 June 2023, Mr Yadav sent Mr Gupta a news article about Mr Pannun and messaged Mr Gupta, '[i] t's [a] priority now'." 
 
Mr Yadav and Mr Gupta of India have been charged with murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and conspiracy to commit money laundering which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Comments
vkjain1973
4 months ago
I wish Indian Govt ask US govt to take life of Indians seriously. Who can forget how they protected Warren Anderson? Plain Hippocrates.
parimalshah1
4 months ago
IT is not at all difficult for CIA and FBI and drug control agency of US to allow a bargain plea to the drug dealer and make him state that so and so of India approached for such and such favor on payment. The whole case is entirely a fabrication of imagination by CIA on nudge by Uncle Sam to ensure India toes the American line in cases or both wars R-U and I-H.
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