In a case that has sent shockwaves through diplomatic and intelligence circles, US federal prosecutors have unveiled new details of an alleged international murder-for-hire plot that stretches from New York to Nepal and Pakistan, with deep ties to Indian intelligence services. According to court documents filed in the Southern District of New York, Indian national Nikhil Gupta and former intelligence operative Vikash Yadav are accused of orchestrating a plan to assassinate Sikh separatist leaders in multiple countries, including the United States, Canada, Nepal, and Pakistan. The scope of the operation, as revealed by US authorities, is broader and more complex than previously understood.
The story began to unfold in June 2023, when Nikhil Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic at the request of American law enforcement. Gupta, also known as Nick, was extradited to the United States in June 2024 under a bilateral treaty between the US and the Czech Republic. He now faces charges of murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, each carrying a maximum sentence of ten years in prison. The trial is scheduled to begin on November 3, 2025, in Manhattan federal court.
According to Dawn, the US government’s case is built on a trove of evidence, including WhatsApp messages, email exchanges, surveillance photos, and testimony from an undercover officer and a confidential source. The prosecutors allege that Gupta conspired with a high-ranking Indian government employee, identified as CC-1 in court documents, who is a former officer of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) with extensive training in battlecraft and weapons. CC-1, later identified as Vikash Yadav, allegedly directed the plot from India, instructing Gupta to target Gurpatwant Singh Pannun—a US-based Sikh separatist leader advocating for Khalistan—as well as another individual in Nepal or Pakistan.
WhatsApp messages cited in the filings show that Yadav, using the alias "Aman," instructed Gupta to save his contact under that name and discussed multiple targets, not just in New York but also in California and at least one in Nepal or Pakistan. On May 8, 2023, Gupta messaged Yadav that the "soldiers"—a coded reference to hitmen—had already arrived in Nepal and were actively searching for the intended victim. Yadav pressed for urgency, urging Gupta to increase the payment and stating, "If they have really captured the target, they should kill him. Otherwise, we won’t get another chance."
The evidence, as described by Hindustan Times, also includes hundreds of text messages and recorded conversations between Gupta and both the confidential source and the undercover officer. The US prosecutors have obtained communications from Gupta’s cellphones and Yadav’s Gmail accounts, which were certified as authentic by Google’s records custodian. Notably, the phone number used by Yadav to communicate on WhatsApp was also listed as the recovery number for one of the Gmail accounts, further corroborating the link between the two men.
But the plot did not stop at planning. According to court documents, Yadav promised Gupta a plane-load of weapons to execute the assassinations. In WhatsApp exchanges dated June 22, 2023, Yadav allegedly promised to provide "assault rifles and pistols" and to "arrange for the clearance of an airplane to transport the weapons from India." Just days later, on June 26, Gupta followed up, asking Yadav to check on the "toys"—their code for firearms. Yadav indicated that the weapons would be made available once the killing was complete, tying the arms offer directly to the success of the assassination plot.
The US prosecutors argue that these exchanges demonstrate Yadav’s conditional support, making it clear that the supply of weapons was contingent upon the successful murder of the primary target, Pannun. Beginning in early May 2023, Yadav and Gupta worked closely together, with Yadav providing Gupta with the target’s location in Nepal to pass on to the hitmen. The communications about the Nepal plot were described as "strikingly similar" to those regarding the New York target, suggesting a coordinated and systematic approach to the murder-for-hire scheme.
The case took on even greater international significance following the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Sikh separatist leader, outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, on June 18, 2023. Prosecutors allege that Gupta informed the undercover operative that Nijjar "was also the target" and that there were multiple potential victims. The indictment links Gupta and Yadav to Nijjar’s killing, and Canadian authorities have charged four Indian nationals in connection with the case, though their trial is not expected to begin before late 2026.
Gupta, a resident of India with a history of narcotics and arms trafficking, attempted to contract a hitman to kill Pannun. Unbeknownst to him, the supposed hitman was actually a DEA undercover officer. CC-1 agreed to pay $100,000 for the murder, with an initial payment of $15,000 delivered in Manhattan in June 2023. Gupta provided surveillance photos and updates on the target’s movements, and even instructed the undercover operative to avoid carrying out the assassination during upcoming US-India diplomatic engagements—a chilling reminder of the political sensitivities at play.
After news of the alleged plot surfaced, the Indian government set up an inquiry committee to investigate. The committee, led by a senior official of India’s National Security Council, recommended legal action against an individual whose "criminal links and antecedents" had come to light, as well as "functional improvements" in procedures to strengthen India’s response to such incidents. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs confirmed in October 2024 that Yadav had been sacked after his indictment in November 2023. However, the government has dismissed allegations by Canadian authorities linking Indian agents to Nijjar’s murder as "absurd," stating that Ottawa never provided any evidence to support its claims.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland emphasized the gravity of the case, stating that Gupta’s extradition "makes clear that the Justice Department will not tolerate attempts to silence or harm American citizens." Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco described the plot as "a brazen attempt to silence a political activist for exercising a quintessential American right: his freedom of speech." FBI Director Christopher Wray added, "The bureau will not tolerate attempts by foreign nationals, or anyone else, to repress constitutionally-protected freedoms in the United States." DEA Administrator Anne Milgram praised the "hard work and commitment" of the Drug Enforcement Task Force and highlighted the importance of international law enforcement cooperation, particularly with Czech authorities.
Gupta has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and his legal team is preparing for a trial that is likely to draw international attention. Meanwhile, US prosecutors maintain that the murder-for-hire plot was wider in scope than previously revealed, involving plans for additional killings in Canada, Nepal, and Pakistan. As the legal proceedings unfold, the world watches closely, aware that the implications of this case extend far beyond the courtroom.
The story continues to evolve, weaving together threads of espionage, international intrigue, and the struggle over free speech and political dissent on the global stage.