U.S. Justice Department Charges Indian Government Employee in Foiled Plot to Assassinate U.S. Citizen in New York

On Thursday, October 17, 2024, the U.S. Justice Department announced charges against Vikash Yadav, a 39-year-old Indian government employee, in connection with a foiled plan to kill a U.S. citizen in New York City. Yadav is accused of murder-for-hire and money laundering. He remains at large, while his alleged accomplice, Nikhil Gupta, was previously charged and extradited to the U.S. from India.

The victim, a U.S. citizen of Indian origin, is a prominent leader of the Sikh separatist movement, which advocates for Punjab’s secession from India to form a new state called Khalistan. The victim has been critical of the Indian government, which banned him and his organization from entering India. Yadav, who worked for the Indian government in intelligence and security roles, allegedly directed the plot from India.

In 2023, Yadav allegedly enlisted Gupta to organize the assassination. Gupta, thinking he was working with a criminal associate, contacted a confidential informant working for the DEA. Gupta and Yadav agreed to pay $100,000 for the hit, with an advance payment of $15,000 delivered in Manhattan. Gupta provided the assassin with the victim’s personal details, including home address and phone numbers, as well as surveillance photos.

The plot escalated after the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a fellow Sikh separatist leader, in Canada just days before the Indian Prime Minister’s visit to the U.S. in June 2023. After Nijjar’s murder, Yadav urged Gupta to prioritize the killing of the New York-based victim.

Yadav and Gupta are charged with murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison.

The case is being investigated by the DEA and FBI, with assistance from multiple international law enforcement agencies. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.