In May, an alleged plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist on U.S. soil unfolded with a text message exchange between an Indian security official and Nikhil Gupta, an alleged drugs trafficker.
The official sought Gupta’s assistance in orchestrating the murder of a target in New York, purportedly Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a leader of the Sikhs for Justice separatist group. The six-week plot, revealed in an unsealed Nov. 29 indictment, involved Gupta, 52, charged with murder-for-hire.
The indictment, based on a 15-page document filed in Manhattan federal court, outlines the failed conspiracy, suggesting U.S. law enforcement became aware of the plot shortly after its initiation. The Indian official responsible for intelligence and security matters, who remains unnamed, assured Gupta that his criminal charges in India’s Gujarat state had been resolved.
Having secured this assurance, Gupta proceeded to fulfill his end of the bargain. On May 29, he sought a criminal associate’s assistance for a “murder-for-hire” in the U.S. Unbeknownst to Gupta, the associate was a confidential source for U.S. law enforcement.
To expedite the plot, the Indian official urged Gupta to ensure the assassination didn’t coincide with the visit of top-level Indian officials to the U.S. in late June, coinciding with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s planned visit.
Gupta communicated with an undercover DEA agent, posing as a hitman, arranging a $15,000 cash advance for the purported hitman. The indictment reveals that the DEA agent provided surveillance photos of the target and engaged in a video call with Gupta, leading to Gupta’s indictment on June 13. The charges remained sealed until his late June arrest.
The White House learned of the plot in late July, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan discussed it with his Indian counterpart in early August. Simultaneously, in Canada, Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed in a Vancouver suburb on June 18, possibly linked to the unfolding events.
Gupta’s Indian government handler informed him that the target, likely Pannun, was “not at home” during Modi’s visit to the U.S. Urgent messages followed, instructing Gupta’s U.S.-based associates to intensify surveillance and be prepared for potential actions.
On June 29, Gupta, still in contact with the undercover DEA agent, urged swift action if visuals were available. The following day, Gupta was arrested in Prague, where he remains, pending extradition to the U.S. Meanwhile, three months later, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cited credible allegations linking Indian government agents to Nijjar’s murder, an accusation India dismissed as “absurd.”
