Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Nikhil Gupta, accused of orchestrating an unsuccessful plot to kill Khalistani Sikh terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York City, has pleaded guilty to three criminal charges in a Manhattan federal court.
Nikhil Gupta, 54, pleaded guilty on Friday to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering, a spokesperson for the US Attorney’s Office in Manhattan said. The charges carry a maximum combined sentence of 40 years in prison.
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Gupta entered his plea before US Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in Manhattan federal court. His lawyers were not immediately available for comment.
US authorities have held Gupta in jail in Brooklyn since his June 2024 extradition to the United States from the Czech Republic, where police arrested him a year earlier. He had pleaded not guilty immediately after his extradition.
The Indian government has dissociated itself from any plot against Pannun, saying that such actions go against government policy.
US authorities said the alleged assassination plots against Sikh terrorists in the United States and Canada have tested diplomatic relations with India, which has denied involvement in such plots.
The plot reportedly began in May 2023, spearheaded by Yadav, then an employee of the Indian government. Yadav allegedly collaborated with individuals in India and abroad to orchestrate the assassination of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a designated terrorist in India.
WHO IS GURPATWANT SINGH PANNUN
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is a Khalistani terrorist, New York-based lawyer and the self-proclaimed general counsel of the Khalistani separatist outfit Sikhs forJustice. Pannun has been designated as a terrorist by India for financing violence and fanning Khalistani sentiments. Pannun was born in Khankot village on the outskirts of Amritsar and is believed to hold a law degree from the Panjab University.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has often been in the news for issuing open threats to India and Indians – many times on video – including an instance when he said that those flying on an Air India plane could face threats to their lives.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
