Who Is Nikhil Gupta? Indian National Pleads Guilty In Plot To Kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun

Last Updated:February 14, 2026, 16:25 IST

Nikhil Gupta has pleaded guilty in a Manhattan federal court to charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering

Indian national Nikhil Gupta, 54, has pleaded guilty in a US court for his role in a foiled plot to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen and prominent Sikh separatist leader residing in New York.

Gupta has pleaded guilty in a Manhattan federal court to charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

“Nikhil Gupta a/k/a ‘Nick,’ an Indian national, pleaded guilty to all three counts contained in the Second Superseding Indictment, charging him with murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, in connection with his efforts to murder a US citizen in New York City," the indictment read.

Who Is Nikhil Gupta?

Nikhil Gupta, alias Nick, has admitted to being an international narcotics and weapons trafficker. He was arrested in June 2023 by Czech authorities at the request of the US government and was extradited to the United States.

Gupta has been charged by the US prosecution with attempting to hire a hitman to assassinate Khalistani separatist Pannun, a US citizen designated as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in India.

The initial indictment claimed that Gupta was recruited by an Indian government employee – referred to as CC-1 – and was working with others in a plot to assassinate Pannun. The indictment referred to CC-1 as a “senior field officer" whose responsibilities include “intelligence".

He has been held in Brooklyn since his extradition. He initially pleaded not guilty to all charges.

What Are Charges Against Him?

According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the alleged conspiracy dates back to May 2023, when Gupta was purportedly approached by Vikash Yadav. Court documents describe Yadav as a co-accused and an employee of India’s Cabinet Secretariat, which oversees the country’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

US prosecutors have claimed that Gupta was assigned the task of orchestrating Pannun’s killing on American soil. Following these alleged instructions, he reached out to a person he believed to be a criminal contact to arrange for a contract killing.

However, that individual was actually a confidential informant working with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), who subsequently connected Gupta to an undercover DEA officer posing as a hired assassin.

“In or about 2023, Gupta worked together with others in India and elsewhere, including, as alleged in the Second Superseding Indictment, co-defendant Vikash Yadav, who was at relevant times an Indian government employee, to plot the assassination of an attorney and political activist (Pannun, called ‘the victim’)," the indictment stated.

Gupta and the ‘hitman’ struck a deal to assassinate Pannun for $100,000 (around Rs 90.56 lakh), including a cash advance of $15,000 (around Rs 13.58 lakh). Yadav then provided Gupta with personal details of the intended target, including Pannun’s home address, phone numbers and daily routine in New York City.

In June, CC-1 provided Gupta with Pannun’s personal information, including his New York City address, phone numbers, and details about his daily life. Gupta, in turn, passed this information to the undercover officer. CC-1 instructed Gupta to provide regular updates on the progress of the assassination plot. In light of Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s June killing, Gupta informed the undercover officer that there was “now no need to wait" to kill Pannun.

What Happens Next?

Gupta, appearing before Federal Judge Sarah Netburn in Manhattan, pleaded guilty to three counts: murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Gupta will be sentenced on May 29, 2026, by US District Judge Victor Marrero. He faces a maximum of 40 years in prison. However, Marrero will determine the quantum of punishment based on a number of factors.

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