Accused Nikhil Gupta on Friday pleaded guilty in a US court for his role in the foiled murder plot targeting Khalistani separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Gupta, 54, had initially pleaded not guilty in June 2024. According to the US Attorney's Office in Manhattan, Gupta admitted to charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was arrested in June 2023 in the Czech Republic and subsequently extradited to the United States.

Conspiracy With Indian Official For Assasination

Prosecutors alleged that Gupta conspired with an Indian government official to assassinate Pannun, who is a US resident and holds dual US-Canadian citizenship. New Delhi has distanced itself from the plot, emphasizing that such actions are against government policy. The case had previously strained India’s diplomatic ties with both the US and Canada. Prosecutors also claimed that Gupta’s alleged plot was linked to a broader conspiracy targeting Sikh separatist leaders abroad, including the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in Western Canada in June 2023.

Gupta reportedly hired an assassin under orders from Vikash Yadav, an officer of India’s external intelligence agency, who remains in India and is charged in the case. Gupta has been held without bail since arriving in the US and faces decades in prison if convicted.