(FeaturedNews.com) – An Indian national is facing charges by authorities after he allegedly conspired to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader.
On Tuesday, the Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney’s Office put out a statement noting that Czech authorities had detained and arrested Nikhil Gupta in June over him plotting to assassinate an unnamed Sikh leader, who has been identified as an American citizen.
The Financial Times and The Washington Post in their reports have noted that the intended victim has been identified as Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Authorities have alleged that Gupta had been collaborating with an Indian government employee, who is identified as CC-1 in the documents. The employee is allegedly the person who had been directing the assassination plot from India.
In the indictment, it was noted that CC-1 had referred to himself as a “Senior Field Officer” who had “Intelligence” and “Security Management” responsibilities. There were also details for the murder-for-hire plot against the Pannun.
Allegedly Gupta had started by contacting who he believed to be a criminal associate but was confidentially working with the DEA. This individual had then put Gupta in contact with a hitman, who had been another undercover officer and had facilitated an advance payment of $15,000 for the murder.
Gupta had also instructed that the murder needed to be carried out as swiftly as possible, but that it should not happen at any time when there were anticipated engagements between Indian government officials and the U.S. government as per the affidavit.
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