- By Chetna Shree
- Sat, 14 Feb 2026 08:32 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Pannun Murder Plot: Nikhil Gupta, accused of orchestrating a failed plot to kill Khalistani Sikh terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, pleaded guilty in a US court on Friday. Gupta, 54, pleaded guilty to three criminal charges, including murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering, a spokesperson for the US Attorney's Office in Manhattan said. This plea carries a maximum combined sentence of 40 years in prison.
Gupta entered his plea before US Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in Manhattan federal court. He was arrested in June 2023 in the Czech Republic and extradited to the US after the foiled assassination attempt.
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While the American prosecutors accused him of orchestrating the plot to kill Khalistani Sikh terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, along with an Indian government official, New Delhi has distanced itself from the case, stating such actions are against government policy.
This alleged assassination plot against Pannun, a US-Canadian citizen and an India-designated terrorist, has strained India's ties with both the United States and Canada.
Pannun Murder Plot
The US prosecutors alleged that Gupta collaborated with an Indian government official to target Sikh separatist leaders abroad, which also includes the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar by masked gunmen outside a Sikh temple in Western Canada in June 2023, news agency Reuters reported.
According to US prosecutors, Gupta, on orders of Vikash Yadav, an officer with India's external intelligence agency, hired an assassin to kill Pannun. Yadav is also charged in the case. Gupta has been in US custody without bail since he arrived in the US.
(With Agencies Inputs)