US court indictment that alleges murder-for-hire

The Southern District Court of New York recently unsealed an indictment alleging murder-for-hire charges against Indian national Nikhil Gupta, aka Nick, 52, in connection with his participation in a foiled plot to assassinate a US citizen in New York City (Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, identified only as ‘Victim’ in court papers).

According to the court documents, an Indian government employee (identified only as CC-1) worked together with others, including Gupta, in India and elsewhere on the plot. In or about May 2023, CC-1 recruited Gupta to assassinate the ‘Victim’.

The documents add: “On CC-1’s direction, Gupta contacted an individual (CS), who was in fact a confidential source working with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, to contract a hitman to murder the Victim. The CS introduced Gupta to a hitman, who was in fact a DEA undercover officer (UC), and offered him $1,00,000 to murder the Victim. Gupta delivered $15,000 in advance to the UC in Manhattan.”

Gupta, according to the court documents, “directed the UC to carry out the murder as soon as possible around the time masked gunmen on June 18 murdered Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia, Canada. Gupta allegedly sent photos of Nijjar’s blood-drenched body to UC along with videos of him sitting with allegedly three RAW officers in Delhi during which he discussed the Nijjar murder with UC.”

It was this photo and video that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation passed on to the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service. On the basis of this material, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged a potential Indian link to the Nijjar murder.

“Nijjar was an associate of the Victim,” noted the court filing.

Gupta is charged with murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire. Each count carries a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The chances are that the US could approach the Interpol for issuing Red Corner Notices against CC-1 and the three officials who allegedly figure in a video with Gupta.

In sharp contrast to its keen interest in a killing that never happened, the US routinely does not reply to requests from other governments to turn in CIA operatives.