In a first, US reveals identity of CC-1, key figure in plot to kill pro-Khalistan separatist Pannun

 For the first time since the US accused an unnamed Indian official, CC-1, of allegedly trying to kill pro-Khalistan separatist figure Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, US federal prosecutors have named Vikash Yadav as the intelligence official and charged him with “murder-for-hire and money laundering.”

This comes almost 11 months after the first US indictment uncovering the alleged plot. On Friday, US prosecutors in New York announced the “filing of murder-for-hire and money laundering charges against Indian government employee VIKASH Yadav, a/k/a “Vikas,” a/k/a “Amanat,” in connection with his role in directing a foiled plot to assassinate a U.S. citizen in New York City”, said a statement from the US Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York.

It said that the charges are contained in a second superseding indictment unsealed today in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. Yadav’s alleged co-conspirator, Nikhil Gupta, was previously charged and extradited to the United States.

The FBI put Yadav on its wanted list and said that “a federal arrest warrant was issued for Yadav in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York, New York, New York, on October 10, 2024, after he was charged with Murder-For-Hire, Conspiracy to Commit Murder-For-Hire, and Money Laundering Conspiracy”.

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“Vikash Yadav is wanted for allegedly directing a plot to assassinate a United States lawyer and political activist of Indian origin on United States soil. Yadav is an Indian national based in India and used “Amanat” as an alias when communicating with his co-conspirator, another Indian national, 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, New York, as an advance payment for the murder,” it said.

Releasing his pictures, the FBI gave out his identification details and said that his place of birth was Pranpura in Haryana. According to the FBI, the 39-year-old, born on December 11, 1984, has a height of 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet 1 inches, weighs approximately 175 pounds (about 79 kgs) and has black hair and brown eyes. The FBI New York office also said: “If you have any information concerning this person, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.”

“Yadav is at large. The case is pending before US District Judge Victor Marrero,” the statement read.

Giving details of Yadav’s background, the indictment alleged, “Yadav is a citizen and resident of India… Yadav was employed by the government of India’s Cabinet Secretariat, which is a part of the Indian Prime Minister’s Office.” It added: “R&AW is an arm of the Cabinet Secretariat. Yadav has described his position as senior field officer with responsibilities in security, management and intelligence, and has listed his employer’s address as the CGO complex in New Delhi, which is where RAW is headquartered.”

“Yadav has also served in the Central Reserve Police Force, India’s largest paramilitary force. Yadav has described his position there as an Assistant Commandant with command of a 135-man company. Yadav has reported receiving counter intelligence, battlecraft, weapons and paratrooper training,” the indictment alleged. Yadav is a citizen and resident of India, and he directed the plot to assassinate the Victim from India,” the statement alleged.

In New Delhi, a day earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson — in response to a query on the person identified in an indictment of the US Department of Justice (DoJ) in connection with the case — had confirmed that the person is “no longer an employee of the government of India”.

The official statement of the indictment said, “Yadav, 39, and Gupta, 53, of India, have been charged with murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.” It added that the maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

The indictment alleged that last year, Yadav, working together with others, including Gupta, in India, and elsewhere, directed a plot to assassinate on US soil an attorney and political activist who is a US citizen of Indian origin residing in New York City — referred to as the “Victim”. Throughout the indictment, Pannun has not been named and has been identified as the victim.

“The victim is a vocal critic of the Indian government and leads a US-based organization that advocates for the secession of Punjab, a state in northern India that is home to a large population of Sikhs, an ethnoreligious minority group in India.  The victim has publicly called for some or all of Punjab to secede from India and establish a Sikh sovereign state called Khalistan, and the Indian government has banned the Victim and his separatist organization from India,” it said.

Giving the details about the plot, it alleged, “In or about May 2023, Yadav recruited Gupta to orchestrate the assassination of the Victim in the United States.  Gupta is an Indian national who resided in India and has described his involvement in international narcotics and weapons trafficking in his communications with Yadav and others. At Yadav’s direction, Gupta contacted an individual whom Gupta believed to be a criminal associate, but who was in fact a confidential source working with the DEA (the “CS”), for assistance in contracting a hitman to murder the Victim in New York City. The CS introduced Gupta to a purported hitman, who was in fact a DEA undercover officer (the “UC”).  Yadav subsequently agreed, in dealings brokered by Gupta, to pay the UC $100,000 to murder the Victim.  On or about June 9, 2023, Yadav and Gupta arranged for an associate to deliver $15,000 in cash to the UC as an advance payment for the murder.  Yadav’s associate then delivered the $15,000 to the UC in Manhattan.”

It further alleged: “In or about June 2023, in furtherance of the assassination plot, Yadav provided Gupta with personal information about the Victim, including the Victim’s home address in New York City, phone numbers associated with the Victim, and details about the Victim’s day-to-day conduct, which Gupta then passed to the UC.  Yadav directed Gupta to provide regular updates on the progress of the assassination plot, which Gupta accomplished by forwarding to Yadav, among other things, surveillance photographs of the Victim.  Gupta directed the UC to carry out the murder as soon as possible, but Gupta also specifically instructed the UC not to commit the murder around the time of the Indian Prime Minister’s official state visit to the United States, which was scheduled to begin on or about June 20, 2023.”

The indictment went onto list, “On or about June 18, 2023, approximately two days before the Indian Prime Minister’s state visit to the United States, masked gunmen murdered Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia, Canada.  Nijjar was an associate of the Victim, and, like the Victim, was a leader of the Sikh separatist movement and an outspoken critic of the Indian government. On or about June 19, 2023, the day after the Nijjar murder, Gupta told the UC that Nijjar “was also the target” and “we have so many targets.”  Gupta added that, in light of Nijjar’s murder, there was “now no need to wait” on killing the Victim.  On or about June 20, 2023, Yadav sent Gupta a news article about the Victim and messaged Gupta, “[i]t’s [a] priority now.”

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Merrick B. Garland, the Attorney General of the United States, Anne Milgram, the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), Christopher A. Wray, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Matthew G. Olsen, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, and James E. Dennehy, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, announced the filing of murder-for-hire and money laundering charges against Yadav.

US Attorney Damian Williams said: “Last year, this Office charged Nikhil Gupta for conspiring to assassinate a US citizen of Indian origin on US soil. But, as alleged, Gupta did not work alone. Today, we announce charges against an Indian government employee, Vikash Yadav, who orchestrated the plot from India and directed Gupta to hire a hitman to murder the victim. The right to exercise free speech is foundational to our democracy, and predicated on the notion that we can do so without fear of violence or reprisal, including from beyond our borders.  Let this case be a warning to all those who would seek to harm and silence US citizens:  We will hold you accountable, no matter who and where you are.”

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said: “The Justice Department will be relentless in holding accountable any person – regardless of their position or proximity to power – who seeks to harm and silence American citizens. As alleged, last year, we foiled an attempt by Vikash Yadav, an Indian government employee, and his co-conspirator, Nikhil Gupta, to assassinate an American citizen on US soil. Today’s charges demonstrate that the Justice Department will not tolerate attempts to target and endanger Americans and to undermine the rights to which every US citizen is entitled.”

DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said: “DEA foiled this assassination attempt last year and has continued to trace this case back to an employee of the Indian government whom we charge was an orchestrator of this intricate murder-for-hire scheme. DEA did not relent, and today’s indictment names Vikash Yadav as that alleged mastermind. We charge that Yadav, an employee of the Indian government, used his position of authority and access to confidential information to direct the attempted assassination of an outspoken critic of the Indian government here on US soil. This case was led by the DEA New York Division’s Drug Enforcement Task Force, which is comprised of DEA, the New York State Police, and the New York City Police Department, and is a true testament to the tenacity and determination of our team.”

FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said: “The defendant, an Indian government employee, allegedly conspired with a criminal associate and attempted to assassinate a US citizen on American soil for exercising their First Amendment rights. The FBI will not tolerate acts of violence or other efforts to retaliate against those residing in the US for exercising their constitutionally protected rights. We are committed to working with our partners to detect, disrupt, and hold accountable foreign nationals or others who seek to engage in such acts of transnational repression.”

FBI Assistant Director James E. Dennehy said: “As alleged in today’s indictment, Vikash Yadav, a senior field officer with the government of India’s Research and Analysis Wing, along with Nikhil Gupta, planned to murder a political activist and prominent critic of the Indian government who is an American citizen in New York City.  The United States government was able to disrupt this abhorrent plot to silence an American before it could be carried out.  Today’s charges make clear the FBI, in conjunction with our DEA and SDNY partners, will not tolerate a foreign government attempting to violate our laws and our sovereignty here in New York or anywhere.”

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