New York: A former Indian government official has been charged by US authorities for his alleged involvement in a failed plot to assassinate Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil, coinciding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit.
Vikash Yadav, 39, who worked for the Cabinet Secretariat, which oversees India’s foreign intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), federal prosecutors claimed in an indictment filed in a New York court on Thursday.
Yadav faces charges of murder-for-hire and money laundering for his role in orchestrating the plot to kill Pannun. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Yadav “remains at large.”
All about Vikash Yadav, the Indian national charged by US in plot to kill Pannun
- Vikash Yadav who also goes by the alias Amanat has been charged in connection with his role in directing a foiled plot to assassinate a US citizen.
- Yadav had been employed by the Indian government’s Cabinet Secretariat, part of the Prime Minister’s Office. The indicted also mentioned that RAW is an arm of the Cabinet Secretariat.
- Yadad has also served in the Central Reserve Protection Force (CRPF) as assistant commandant in charge of a “135-man” company.
- He has reported receiving counterintelligence, battlecraft, weapons and paratrooper training.
- Yadav was born on December 11, 1984, in Haryana’s Pranpura. For physical appearance, he has been mentioned of 5”10” to 6’1” in height, having black hair and weighing around 175 pounds.
- The FBI has also released a picture of Yadav in a CRPF uniform in its wanted poster. The FBI says he is wanted on charges of murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire conspiracy and money laundering.
- He described himself to an FBI informant, whom he hired to assassinate Pannun, as a “senior field office” with responsibilities in “security management and intelligence”.
- He mentioned his employer’s address at the CGO Complex in New Delhi, where RAW headquarters are located.
- The Indian government has denied its association or involvement with such a plot to kill an American national on US soil. Following allegations by the US, New Delhi had set up an inquiry committee to investigate the matter.
The indictment alleges that Yadav, along with his co-conspirator Nikhil Gupta, conspired to assassinate Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun during the summer of 2023. Gupta reportedly hired an individual to carry out the assassination, who turned out to be an FBI informant. This informant requested $100,000 for the job and received a $15,000 advance payment on June 9, 2023.
Notably, this was the same month that President Joe Biden had invited Prime Minister Modi for a historic state visit, which occurred on June 22. According to the indictment, Yadav instructed Gupta and the hired assassin not to proceed with the assassination immediately before or during the state visit.
