Indian man pleads guilty in US assassination plot case

Washington: Indian national Nikhil Gupta has pleaded guilty in a US federal court to participating in a plot to assassinate a New York City-based Sikh separatist leader, a case that has drawn significant diplomatic attention between India and the United States, the Department of Justice said.

Gupta, also known as “Nick,” admitted guilt to three charges—murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering—before US Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in the Southern District of New York.

He is scheduled to be sentenced by US District Judge Victor Marrero on May 29, 2026.

According to the Department of Justice, Gupta acted “at the direction and coordination of an Indian government employee” to target a New York-based attorney and political activist advocating for the creation of Khalistan, a proposed Sikh sovereign state in Punjab.

The indictment alleges that co-defendant Vikash Yadav was employed by India’s Cabinet Secretariat, which houses the country’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

“Nikhil Gupta plotted to assassinate a US citizen in New York City,” said US Attorney Jay Clayton. “He thought that from outside this country, he could kill someone in it without consequence, simply for exercising their American right to free speech. But he was wrong, and he will face justice.”

The intended victim, identified in court documents as a US citizen of Indian origin, leads a US-based organisation calling for the secession of Punjab. Both the individual and his organisation are banned in India.

Prosecutors said Yadav recruited Gupta in May 2023 to carry out the assassination. Gupta contacted a confidential source working with the US DEA, who introduced him to an undercover DEA officer posing as a contract killer.

Federal prosecutors allege Yadav agreed to pay $100,000 for the killing, with $15,000 delivered in New York as an advance. Gupta reportedly provided the victim’s home address, phone numbers, and surveillance details to the undercover officer.

The Justice Department also said Gupta instructed the officer not to carry out the killing during the Indian Prime Minister’s June 2023 state visit to the US.

Two days before the PM’s visit, Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead outside a temple in British Columbia, Canada. Court filings show Gupta told the undercover officer the following day that Nijjar “was also the target” and added, “we have so many targets.”

Gupta, 54, was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30, 2023, and later extradited to the United States.

The charges carry maximum penalties of 10 years each for murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and up to 20 years for conspiracy to commit money laundering. Actual sentencing will follow federal guidelines.

Gupta’s guilty plea avoids what would have been a closely watched trial in Manhattan federal court, highlighting allegations of foreign-directed assassination efforts on US soil.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 29, 2026.