Nikhil Gupta, an Indian man, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to kill Gurpatwant Pannun in the United States.
Nikhil Gupta, a 54-year-old Indian man, pleaded guilty to conspiring to kill Khalistan separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a U.S. citizen. Gupta pleaded guilty to three counts of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering. His sentencing will take place in May 2026. In 2023, Gupta worked with others, including Vikas Yadav, in a plot to kill Pannun, who U.S. court documents identified as an outspoken critic of the Indian government. “The victim has publicly called for part or all of Punjab to secede from India and establish a sovereign Sikh state called Khalistan, and the Indian government has banned the victim and his separatist group from entering India,” the department said. The department said Nikhil, also known as Nick, described himself as an international drug and weapons trafficker and communicated electronically with Yadav, who U.S. authorities identified as a former employee of the Indian government. They said Yadav recruited Gupta to plot Pannu’s murder but was later foiled. Gupta contacted a hitman, but he was an undercover agent. Yadav agreed to pay $100,000 to murder the victim. Authorities said Gupta obtained Pannon’s personal information, home address, phone number, daily activities and more. The plot was uncovered and Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic and extradited to the United States.
Away from America and our people: U.S. attorney
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said Nikhil Gupta was wrong to believe he could kill people on U.S. soil from abroad without consequences. “He believed he could kill people outside this country without consequences just to exercise his American right to free speech,” Clayton said. “But he was wrong, and he will face justice. Our message to all nefarious foreign actors should be clear: Stay away from America and our people.”
