NEW DELHI: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Thursday issued a wanted poster for Vikash Yadav, a former Indian government employee, for allegedly being involved in a plot to assassinate Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US citizen.
The ministry of external affairs (MEA) had earlier confirmed that the individual named by the US justice department’s indictment is no longer employed by the Indian government.
The picture is dated June 9, 2023. The name of the Sikh separatist, a US citizen, is not mentioned in the indictment.
The indictment alleges that Vikas Yadav along with his co-conspirator Nikhil Gupta plotted to kill the Sikh separatist leader in the summer of 2023. For this Nikhil Gupta hired an individual to do the kill job. The unidentified individual, who was an informant to the FBI asked for USD 100,000 for the job and received USD 15,000 as an advance payment on June 9, 2023.
Who is Vikash Yadav ?
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun assassination plot: Vikas Yadav, a former Indian government official, has been charged by the US authorities for his alleged role in a foiled plot to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil around the state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The US justice department said that Vikash was employed by the Cabinet Secretariat, which houses the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of India’s foreign intelligence service. “Yadav has described his position as a ‘senior field officer’ with responsibilities in ‘security management’ and ‘intelligence.’ Yadav also has referenced previously serving in India’s Central Reserve Police Force and receiving ‘officer training’ in ‘battle craft’ and ‘weapons.’
What is Vikash Yadav accused of?
The US department said that Yadav recruited Gupta to orchestrate the assassination of Pannun. “At Yadav’s direction, Gupta contacted an individual whom Gupta believed to be a criminal associate, but who was in fact a confidential source (the CS) working with the DEA, for assistance in contracting a hitman to murder the victim in New York City. The CS introduced Gupta to a purported hitman, who was in fact a DEA undercover officer (the UC). Yadav subsequently agreed, in dealings brokered by Gupta, to pay the UC $100,000 to murder the victim. On or about June 9, 2023, Yadav and Gupta arranged for an associate to deliver $15,000 in cash to the UC as an advance payment for the murder. Yadav’s associate then delivered the $15,000 to the UC in Manhattan,” the press release said.
The Justice Department on Thursday announced criminal charges against Vikas Yadav, 39, who was employed by the cabinet secretariat, which houses India’s foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).
Yadav then allegedly provided Gupta with personal information about Pannun, which Gupta then passed to the DEA undercover. “Yadav directed Gupta to provide regular updates on the progress of the assassination plot, which Gupta accomplished by forwarding to Yadav, among other things, surveillance photographs of the victim. Gupta directed the UC to carry out the murder as soon as possible, but Gupta also specifically instructed the UC not to commit the murder around the time of the Indian Prime Minister’s official state visit to the United States,” it said.
“The day after the Nijjar murder, Gupta told the UC that Nijjar ‘was also the target’ and ‘we have so many targets.’ Gupta added that, in light of Nijjar’s murder, there was ‘now no need to wait’. Yadav then sent Gupta a news article about the victim and messaged Gupta, “[i]t’s [a] priority now,” said US.
What are the charges against Vikash Yadav?
Yadav and Gupta of India have been charged with murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.A federal district court judge will determine any sentence, considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. The US justice department clarified, “An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
Gupta, extradited from the Czech Republic, has pleaded ‘not guilty.’ India has set up a high-level inquiry committee to address the security concerns raised by the US government. MEA insists that India takes such inputs seriously as they affect national security interests.
- “Today’s charges demonstrate that the Justice Department will not tolerate attempts to target and endanger Americans and to undermine the rights to which every US citizen is entitled,” US attorney general Merrick B Garland said.
- The FBI has also issued a ‘wanted’ poster with three images of Vikas Yadav According to the FBI, a federal warrant of arrest against him was issued on October 10.
- Vikas Yadav, also known as “Vikas” and “Amanat”, according to the indictment, is the second person to be charged in connection with the case.
- According to the indictment, “Yadav has described his position as a ‘senior field officer’ with responsibilities in ‘security management’ and ‘intelligence’. Yadav also has previously served in India’s Central Reserve Police Force and received ‘officer training’ in ‘battle craft’ and ‘weapons’. Yadav is a citizen and resident of India, and he directed the plot to assassinate the victim from India,” it said.
- However, one of Vikas Yadav’s photographs shows him in Army combat uniform, but does not carry any rank epaulets. The US indictment says that he was originally from the CRPF and was an “Assistant Commandant”.
- Running into 18 pages, the indictment posts also gives a picture of two persons exchanging dollars in a car in New York, which federal prosecutors said was the money being paid to the alleged killer by a person on behalf of Nikhil Gupta and Vikas Yadav to assassinate the Sikh separatist leader in New York.
What India said
The Indian government has denied its association or involvement with such a plot to kill an American national on US soil. Following allegations by the US, New Delhi had set up an inquiry committee to investigate the matter.
The US has expressed satisfaction on cooperation from India on this.
Unsealing of the second indictment comes within 48 hours of an Indian Enquiry Committee visiting the US to have a meeting with an inter-agency team of officials from the FBI, Department of Justice and the State Department on these issues.
“We are satisfied with the cooperation. It continues to be an ongoing process. We continue to work with them on that, but we do appreciate the cooperation, and we appreciate them updating us on their investigation as we update them on ours,” state department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Wednesday.