FBI lookout notice against R&AW agent Vikash Yadav for alleged bid to kill Pannun

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a lookout notice against former Indian police official Vikash Yadav, alias Vikas, for the alleged plot to kill Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

The FBI says Yadav is an Indian national based in India and used “Amanat” as an alias when communicating with his co-conspirator, another Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, to facilitate the murder plot. 

Yadav allegedly provided information, such as the victim’s residential addresses, phone numbers, and other identifying information, to the Indian national in furtherance of the plot. Yadav and his co-conspirator arranged for an associate to deliver $15,000 in cash in New York as an advance payment for the murder, said the FBI.

A federal arrest warrant was issued for Yadav in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York, on October 10, after he was charged with ‘murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and money laundering conspiracy’.

The US Department of Justice, on Thursday night in the US, said the charges were against Indian government employee, Vikash Yadav, 39, also known as Vikas, and Amanat, in connection with his role in directing a foiled plot to assassinate Pannun.

The US media, citing Department of Justice documents, had earlier identified the police official as 'Vikram Yadav'. The charges reveal the name as 'Vikas Yadav'.

Yadav was posted at the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW). He is originally from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).