Nikhil Gupta, also known as Nick, 53, an Indian national, was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30, 2023 and detained under the bilateral extradition treaty between the United States and the Czech Republic extradited. Gupta arrived in the United States on June 14 and was charged today.
“This extradition makes clear that the Department of Justice will not tolerate attempts to silence or harm American citizens,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Nikhil Gupta will now face trial in a U.S. court for his role in an alleged conspiracy directed by Indian government employees to target and assassinate an American citizen who supported the Sikh separatist movement in India… “
“This murder-for-hire plot – allegedly orchestrated by an Indian government employee to kill an American citizen in New York – was a brazen attempt to keep a political activist alive,” the deputy said. Silence because he was exercising a quintessentially American right: freedom of speech.
“This defendant is being extradited on suspicion of participating in a conspiracy to assassinate an American citizen on U.S. soil,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI will not tolerate attempts by foreigners or anyone else to We will continue to work with our partners at home and abroad to protect our citizens and these sacred rights.”
Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said: “It is alleged that the defendant conspired with an Indian government employee in India to hatch an assassination plot against an Indian-American citizen in New York City but failed to assassinate him. Success. “Today’s extradition demonstrates our unwavering determination to investigate, thwart, and prosecute those who seek to harm and silence American citizens at home and abroad. We thank our Czech government counterparts for their close cooperation in this extradition.”
“Last year, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration uncovered an assassination plot by an Indian government employee and international drug smuggler Nikhil Gupta. Gupta was accused of orchestrating a plot to murder an American citizen on U.S. soil. “This extradition is the result of the hard work and commitment of the DEA New York Division’s Drug Enforcement Task Force, which consists of the DEA, the New York State Police, and the New York City Police Department. This case also demonstrates the DEA’s close cooperation with us across the globe. Law enforcement partners, such as the National Narcotics Headquarters of the Czech Republic, as well as partnerships with our federal law enforcement partners in the country.
Last year, an Indian government employee (CC-1) worked with Gupta and others in India and elsewhere to hatch an assassination plot in the United States against an Indian-American citizen, attorney and political activist, according to court documents. .
Gupta, an Indian national residing in India, was an associate of CC-1 and described his involvement in international narcotics and arms trafficking in communications with CC-1 and others. CC-1 is an Indian government agency employee who repeatedly describes himself as a “senior field officer” responsible for “security management” and “intelligence” and mentions having previously served in the Central Reserve Police Force of India and receiving “officers” [] CC-1 directed the assassination plot in India.
In approximately May 2023, CC-1 recruited Gupta to plan the assassination of victims in the United States. Home of the Sikhs, the Sikhs are an ethno-religious minority in India. The victims publicly called for part or all of Punjab to secede from India and establish a sovereign Sikh state called Khalistan. The Indian government has banned the victims and their separatist groups from entering India.
At the direction of CC-1, Gupta contacted an individual whom he believed to be a criminal associate, but who was actually a confidential source working with the DEA (CS) to assist in hiring a hit man to commit a crime. New York City murder victims. The counterterrorism unit introduced Gupta to an alleged killer, who was actually a DEA undercover officer (UC). CC-1 later agreed, through Gupta’s mediation, to pay UC $100,000 to murder the victim. On or about June 9, 2023, CC-1 and Gupta arranged for an associate to deliver $15,000 in cash to UC as a down payment for the murder. CC-1’s colleagues then handed over $15,000 to the University of California, Manhattan.
In or about June 2023, in furtherance of the assassination plot, CC-1 provided Gupta with personal information about the victim, including the victim’s home address, phone numbers associated with the victim, and details about the victim’s daily behavior , this information Gupta subsequently transferred to the University of California. CC-1 instructed Gupta to provide regular updates on the progress of the assassination plot, a task that Gupta accomplished by forwarding, among other things, surveillance photos of the victims to CC-1. Gupta directed UC to carry out the murder as quickly as possible, but Gupta also specifically instructed UC not to commit the murder near the time when senior U.S. and Indian government officials were expected to confront each other in the coming weeks.
On or around June 18, 2023, 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 Nijjar’s murder, Gupta told UC that Nijjar “was also a target” and “we have a lot of targets.” Gupta added that in light of Nijjar’s murder, “there is no need to wait now” to kill the victim. On or about June 20, 2023, CC-1 sent Gupta a news article about the victim and sent a message to Gupta: “[i]of [a] Priority now.
Gupta accused of exploiting interstate commerce ‘with intent to murder’ [for hire] making a promise,” 18 USC § 1958, and conspiring to do so.
