### U.S. Charges Indian Government Employee in Murder-for-Hire Plot

The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, alongside high-ranking officials from the Department of Justice, DEA, and FBI, announced murder-for-hire and money laundering charges against Vikash Yadav, an Indian government employee. The indictment, unsealed in the Southern District of New York, accuses Yadav of orchestrating a foiled plot to assassinate a U.S. citizen in New York City. This new indictment builds upon previously filed charges against Yadav’s alleged accomplice, Nikhil Gupta, who has already been extradited to the United States.

According to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, Nikhil Gupta was initially implicated in the plot last year, when he allegedly conspired to kill an American citizen of Indian origin. As revealed in the charges, Gupta did not act alone; he was allegedly directed by Vikash Yadav from India. Yadav purportedly instructed Gupta to hire a hitman to carry out the murder, aiming to silence a political critic of the Indian government.

Attorney General Merrick Garland reinforced the Justice Department’s commitment to holding those accountable who attempt to harm U.S. citizens, regardless of their power or position. Garland emphasized that the charges demonstrate an uncompromising stance against attempts to intimidate or endanger Americans, particularly regarding their rights to free speech.

As detailed in the Second Superseding Indictment, Yadav was employed by the Indian government’s Cabinet Secretariat, linked to the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Yadav allegedly hired Gupta in May 2023 to organize the assassination. Gupta, believing he was contracting with a criminal associate, unknowingly engaged with a confidential DEA source and a DEA undercover officer posing as a hitman. Yadav agreed to pay $100,000 for the murder and facilitated a $15,000 advance payment.

The plot to assassinate the victim—a prominent advocate for the secession of Punjab from India—was further galvanized following the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. Nijjar, an associate of the intended victim, was similarly a vocal critic of the Indian government and a leader in the Sikh separatist movement. Gupta communicated with the undercover officer, urging the murder to be expedited following Nijjar’s assassination.

Yadav and Gupta each face severe charges including murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries up to 20 years in prison. Given that these charges are accusations, both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams commended the collaboration between the DEA’s New York Drug Enforcement Task Force and the FBI’s New York Field Office in disrupting the plot. The case is being managed by the Southern District of New York’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit, Violent and Organized Crime Unit, and Narcotics Unit.