A murder plot for hiring involving an Indian government official has included plans to assassinate an individual in Nepal or Pakistan, according to newly filed court documents in New York, reported Bloomberg.
The United States Ministry of Justice had previously accused Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, of having tried to assassinate a Sikh activist based in the United States, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, in New York.
The plot would have been orchestrated by Vikash Yadav, an officer from the external intelligence agency in India, RAW. GUPTA was arrested in the Czech Republic in June 2023 and extradited to the United States, while Yadav remains in India.
In documents from the Federal Court deposited this week, US prosecutors have linked Gupta and Yadav to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh activist murdered in Canada in 2023. Nijjar and Pannun were vocal criticisms of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and had been qualified as terrorists by the Indian government.
The new allegations suggest that the rental murder plot has extended beyond New York, potentially involving targets in neighboring countries, notably Nepal and Pakistan.
India denied participation in the death of Nijjar but conducted an internal investigation into the alleged conspiracy, concluding that it was the work of Indian thug agents.
The government has abolished the official official, according to Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. Gupta pleaded not guilty of the accusations and the United States issued an arrest warrant against Yadav.
This case could express the already delicate relations of India with other countries. Tensions between the United States and India have also increased, the Trump administration imposing a 50% rate on India for the purchase of Russian oil.
The allegations are involved in a difficult period for Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is working to restore relations with India. Canada charged four Indian nationals as part of the murder of Nijjar, and the case is underway in court.
The GUPTA trial is expected to start on November 3 in the South New York district. According to court documents, prosecutors have collected evidence through “hundreds of Whatsapp Messenger” communications “and emails between Gupta and Yadav, detailing their discussions on assassinations and expected arms sales.
