Indian Plot Busted: Failed Assassination Plan in NYC

An Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, has confessed to a botched assassination plot against Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York City, under what authorities describe as a broader scheme targeting Indian dissidents in the U.S. and Canada. Gupta's guilty plea includes charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, with a potential sentence of 20 to 24 years in prison.

Prosecutors revealed that Gupta collaborated with an Indian government official named Vikash Yadav, arranging to pay $100,000 to an undercover officer posing as a hitman to murder Pannun, a vocal advocate for a sovereign Sikh state. Gupta admitted to wiring $15,000 as a down payment for the murder. This unfolding series of plots has caused diplomatic tension, as India's government denies any official involvement and asserts that such actions contradict their policy.

The U.S. Attorney for Manhattan, Jay Clayton, emphasized the severity of Gupta's actions, stating that Gupta assumed he could escape repercussions. Gupta has been in custody in Brooklyn since his extradition from the Czech Republic, with his sentencing slated for May 29. Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy and Gupta's legal representatives have not commented on the accusations. Yadav, facing the same charges, remains at large outside U.S. jurisdiction.