New Delhi: Nikhil Gupta, 52, referred as an associate of CC-1 in the criminal complaint filed by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, is an Indian national who allegedly conspired with others to assassinate a US citizen in New York City. The US citizen, referred as 'victim' is a Sikh separatist leader who advocates for the creation of a separate Sikh-nation called 'Khalistan'. However, the Justice Department document did not reveal the identity of the citizen involved in the plot. This comes after a Financial Times report on plan to murder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist leader.
According to the complaint, Gupta is an associate of a senior official in the Indian Intelligence Bureau (IB), the country’s domestic intelligence agency. He is accused of being the main contact person for the co-conspirators, who include a Canadian citizen, a Pakistani national, and two US citizens. Gupta allegedly provided them with information, guidance, and financial assistance to carry out the murder plot.
"Czech authorities arrested and detained GUPTA on June 30, 2023, pursuant to the bilateral extradition treaty between the United States and the Czech Republic," the report states.
The complaint alleges that Gupta and his co-conspirators planned to kill 'Victim' in retaliation for his criticism of the Indian government and its policies towards minority groups. They also allegedly targeted another person, identified as Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen designated a Khalistani terrorist in India.
The complaint claims that Gupta and his co-conspirators used encrypted messaging applications, such as WhatsApp and Signal, to communicate and coordinate their activities. They also allegedly conducted surveillance on both the targets, and discussed various methods of killing them, such as shooting, poisoning, or using a car bomb.
The complaint further alleges that Gupta and his co-conspirators attempted to recruit other people to join their conspiracy, and sought to obtain weapons and explosives for their mission. They also allegedly discussed creating a fake organization to claim responsibility for the killings, and to justify them as acts of self-defense or resistance.
The complaint states that the murder plot was foiled by the FBI and the New York Police Department, who arrested one of the co-conspirators, a US citizen, on December 16, 2023. The other co-conspirators, including Gupta, remain at large and are wanted by the US authorities.
Gupta is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. He is also charged with one count of conspiracy to commit foreign travel in furtherance of murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment. The charges are merely allegations, and Gupta is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
