Washington: The United States has charged former Indian intelligence officer, Vikash Yadav, for allegedly orchestrating a failed plot to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, residing in New York City.
The development comes hours after India and the US, in the first official confirmation, said a person identified as “CC1” in the US Department of Justice (DOJ) indictment — linked to an alleged plot to kill Pannun — was “no longer an employee of the Indian government”.
The US Department of Justice charged Yadav, a 39-year-old former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) official, with murder-for-hire and money laundering. "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.
Spearheaded by Yadav, then an employee of the Indian government, the plot to kill reportedly began in May 2023. He allegedly collaborated with individuals in India and abroad to orchestrate the assassination of Pannun, who advocates for the creation of Khalistan and is a designated terrorist in India.
Yadav's co-conspirator, Nikhil Gupta, 53, was previously charged and extradited to the US on the charges contained in the first superseding indictment. The indictment further revealed that Yadav and Gupta contracted an individual to carry out the assassination for $100,000, only to discover that the hired assassin was an FBI informant. Yadav, "remains at large" according to the Department of Justice.
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 last year, New Delhi had set up an inquiry committee to investigate the matter. The US has expressed satisfaction on cooperation from India on this.
