Indian agent promised ‘plane-load of weapons’ to hired hitman
According to a report by Dawn… NEW YORK: An Indian intelligence agent not only allegedly hired an Indian citizen to carry out murders in Pakistan, Nepal, and the United States but also promised to provide him with a plane-load of weapons to execute the assassinations, documents filed in US federal court show.
Documents filed in a US federal court reveal new charges against the alleged assassin, Nikhil Gupta, including money laundering, credit card fraud, drug and arms trafficking, and attempted murder of a person in Nepal or Pakistan.
According to fresh court documents, US government lawyers claim that the alleged murder-for-hire plot was not limited to New York but also included plans to kill another person in Nepal or Pakistan.
US prosecutors allege that former Indian RAW officer Vikash Yadav promised to supply firearms and even arrange clearance for an aircraft to transport weapons from India. This was allegedly intended so that Gupta could sell the weapons to a man he believed was a trafficker, who would, in turn, help him hire a hitman to target a Sikh separatist in the United States.
In WhatsApp messages dated June 22, 2023, Yadav allegedly promised to provide “assault rifles and pistols” and to “arrange for the clearance of an airplane to transport the weapons from India.”
On June 26, Gupta reportedly followed up, asking Yadav to check on the “toys,” a coded reference to firearms. Prosecutors say Yadav responded that he could obtain the weapons once the killing was complete.
US prosecutors argue that these exchanges show Yadav’s alleged support was conditional on Pannun’s assassination, linking the arms offer directly to the murder-for-hire plot.
Beginning in May 2023, when Yadav instructed Gupta to “save my name as Aman,” he told Gupta over WhatsApp that there were multiple targets, including one in New York (the primary victim) and another in California, and, by reference to addresses, at least one target in Nepal or Pakistan, according to a prosecutor’s letter to the judge.
Regarding the Nepal discussions, the government stated that Yadav provided Gupta with the target’s location to pass on to hitmen, whom Gupta described as “soldiers.” On May 8, Gupta wrote to Yadav that the men had “already arrived [in Nepal] and were looking for” the target. Yadav pressed Gupta to increase their payment and stressed that the task was “urgent.” In one message, Yadav instructed: “If they have really captured the target, they should kill him. Otherwise, we won’t get another chance.”
Prosecutors argued that communications between Yadav and Gupta about the Nepal task were substantially similar to their communications regarding the New York target and described the Nepal plot as “strikingly similar” to the Pannun plan.
Nikhil Gupta’s extradition, arrest
Gupta, also known as Nick, 53, was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30, 2023, and extradited to the United States under the bilateral treaty between the US and Czech Republic. He arrived in the US on June 14 and was presented on murder-for-hire charges.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said the extradition “makes clear that the Justice Department will not tolerate attempts to silence or harm American citizens.” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco described the plot as “a brazen attempt to silence a political activist for exercising a quintessential American right: his freedom of speech.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray emphasised that the bureau “will not tolerate attempts by foreign nationals, or anyone else, to repress constitutionally-protected freedoms in the United States.”
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said the extradition was “the result of the hard work and commitment of the DEA New York Division’s Drug Enforcement Task Force” and praised international law enforcement cooperation, including the Czech Republic’s National Drug Headquarters.
Assassination plot
According to court documents, Gupta conspired with an Indian government employee, identified as CC-1, to target a US-based Sikh separatist leader who advocates for Khalistan, a sovereign Sikh state. CC-1, a former RAW officer with training in battlecraft and weapons, allegedly directed the plot from India.
Gupta, a resident of India with prior involvement in narcotics and arms trafficking, attempted to contract a hitman to kill the US citizen. The supposed hitman was, in fact, a DEA undercover officer. CC-1 allegedly agreed to pay $100,000 for the murder, and an initial payment of $15,000 was delivered in Manhattan in June 2023.
The plot included surveillance of the target, with Gupta sending photos and updates to CC-1. Gupta instructed the undercover operative to avoid carrying out the assassination during upcoming US-India diplomatic engagements.
Nijjar’s murder link
On June 18, 2023, masked gunmen murdered Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was associated with the target and also led the Sikh separatist movement, outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia, Canada. Gupta informed the undercover operative that Nijjar “was also the target” and emphasised multiple potential targets. CC-1 later instructed Gupta to prioritize the main target.
Gupta faces charges of murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The case is being prosecuted by the southern district of New York, with the FBI and DEA actively investigating.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs coordinated with Czech authorities to secure Gupta’s arrest and extradition. Trial attorneys from the National Security Division and the US Attorney’s Office are handling the case.
Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2025 complete report is on below link. Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1945124/indian-agent-promised-plane-load-of-weapons-to-hired-hitman
