The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a wanted poster for Vikash Yadav, a former Indian government employee, in connection with his alleged involvement in a foiled plot to assassinate Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US citizen. This development comes after the US Justice Department unsealed a second superseding indictment against Yadav, accusing him of orchestrating the assassination attempt from India. Earlier on Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that Yadav, named in the US Justice Department’s indictment, is no longer an employee of the Indian government.
According to the FBI’s wanted poster, Yadav, born in 1984 in Haryana, is an Indian national based in India and used the alias “Amanat” while communicating with his co-conspirator, another Indian national, to facilitate the murder plot. Yadav’s alleged co-conspirator, Nikhil Gupta, 53, was previously charged and extradited to the United States on related charges. Gupta remains in US custody.
FBI Director Christopher Wray has claimed that the defendant, an Indian government employee, allegedly conspired with a criminal associate and attempted to assassinate an American citizen on US soil for exercising their First Amendment rights. “The FBI will not tolerate acts of violence or other efforts to retaliate against those residing in the U.S. for exercising their constitutionally protected rights,” Wray stated. “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.”
The US Justice Department alleges that Yadav, while employed by the Government of India’s Cabinet Secretariat, used his position and access to confidential information to direct the attempted assassination of Pannun, an outspoken critic of the Indian government. The DEA, which foiled the assassination attempt in 2023, described Yadav as the “orchestrator” of an “intricate murder-for-hire scheme.” The case was led by the DEA New York Division’s Drug Enforcement Task Force, comprised of the DEA, the New York State Police, and the New York City Police Department.
The indictment alleges that in May 2023, Yadav recruited Gupta to orchestrate the assassination of Pannun. Gupta, who resided in India, had prior involvement in international narcotics and weapons trafficking. Following Yadav’s instructions, Gupta contacted a DEA confidential source, posing as a criminal associate, to find a hitman to kill Pannun in New York City. The confidential source introduced Gupta to an undercover DEA officer, who was presented as a hitman. Yadav then agreed to pay the undercover officer USD 100,000 to assassinate Pannun. On June 9, 2023, Yadav and Gupta arranged for an associate to deliver USD 15,000 in cash to the undercover officer as an advance payment for the murder.
In furtherance of the assassination plot, Yadav provided Gupta with personal information about Pannun, including his home address, phone numbers, and daily routines. This information was then passed on to the undercover DEA officer. Yadav also directed Gupta to provide regular updates on the progress of the assassination plot, which Gupta did by sending surveillance photographs of Pannun to Yadav.
Yadav, Gupta, and others have been charged with murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. These charges carry maximum penalties of 10 years and 20 years in prison, respectively. Gupta pleaded not guilty to similar charges in June after being extradited from the Czech Republic to the US. In response to the security concerns raised by the US government, India established a high-level inquiry committee in November 2022. The Ministry of External Affairs stated that India takes such concerns seriously, as they impact national security, and relevant departments are actively examining the issue.