DOJ calls Nikhil Gupta’s plot to kill Sikh separatist Pannun ‘amateurish and reckless’

Indian national Nikhil Gupta pleads guilty in US over crude assassination plot targeting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun

• Nikhil Gupta pleaded guilty in US to a plot to kill Pannun
• US DOJ called the plot amateurish with poor operational security
• Gupta revealed Nijjar was a target after his Canada killing

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Indian national Nikhil Gupta, who pleaded guilty in the United States for his role in a plot to assassinate Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, was involved in what US authorities describe as a “crude, amateur plot” with little regard for intelligence protocols.

DOJ highlights recklessness

Serving and retired officials say the plot, if true, “brazenly violate[d] every rule in the book that even rookie interns at any agency across the globe wouldn't,” a retired government officer told reporters.

Officials noted, “Forget a senior, any mid-level officer in an agency in the know would have shut it down instantly given the amount of red flags the whole thing generated.”

The Department of Justice documents reveal Gupta and co-accused Vikash Yadav exchanged routine messages on encrypted platforms, compromising operational security.

DEA undercover officers catch plot

“The handlers, sources said, always use 'dead drops or cut-outs'—multiple layers of individuals who don't know each other— to ensure if one person is caught, the trail to the state ends immediately. DOJ documents show Yadav sending his own contact information and even a 'selfie' to Gupta. The photograph showed him in an official military uniform, complete with visible insignia. This single act effectively handed FBI the 'who' of the operation before it had even begun,” an official added.

“A DEA confidential source introduced Gupta to a purported hitman, who was in reality an undercover officer. In a real operation, a handler is a ghost; here, Yadav comes across as a digital pen pal. The 'trap' was not just visible; it was screaming,” the official continued.

“When Gupta sought a hitman, he reached out straight away to a 'criminal associate' who was, in reality, a confidential source of the US's Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), a place teeming with double agents like Pakistani American David Coleman Headley aka Daood Gilani of 26/11 notoriety and those who have been responsible for breakthroughs in the drive against Latin American drug cartels as well as stunning failures. This source then introduced Gupta to a 'hitman' who was a DEA undercover officer,” the official concluded.

Financial trail and mishandling

On June 9, 2023, Gupta arranged for an associate to hand over $15,000 in cash to the undercover agent in Manhattan. “By moving physical cash in a place like Manhattan to a man they had never met, they turned a geopolitical plot into a common street crime captured on federal surveillance,” said officials.

Connection to Hardeep Singh Nijjar

Indian national Nikhil Gupta, who pleaded guilty in the United States to his role in a plot to assassinate Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, had told an undercover agent of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that Hardeep Singh Nijjar "was also a target" just a day after he was killed by unknown gunmen in Canada.

Citing court documents, the DOJ said on or about June 19, 2023, Gupta told the undercover DEA officer that Nijjar “was also a target” and added, “We have so many targets.”

Gupta had earlier instructed the undercover officer to avoid carrying out Pannun's assassination around the time of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington in June 2023. Following Nijjar’s killing, Gupta allegedly indicated there was no longer a need to delay the planned attack.

Arrest and extradition

Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30, 2023, and later extradited to the US. DOJ prosecutors allege he acted in concert with others, including Vikash Yadav, who agreed to pay $1,00,000 for the assassination, with $15,000 delivered in advance.

Personal details of the intended target, including home address, phone numbers, and surveillance photos, were shared with the undercover officer.

Officials conclude that Gupta’s eagerness and disregard for basic tradecraft made the operation a “continuing disaster,” turning it into a visible and avoidable trap.