The US federal prosecutors have leveled accusations against an Indian intelligence official for orchestrating a scheme from India aimed at targeting Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York. India, in its first response, expressed deep concern over these allegations, deeming them contradictory to its governmental stance.
Arindam Bagchi, the official spokesperson of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, conveyed that the case filed against an individual allegedly linked to an Indian official contradicts the country’s policies. He highlighted the gravity of the situation, emphasizing the need for comprehensive consideration by law enforcement agencies regarding the interlinkage between organized crime, trafficking, gunrunning, and extremism on a global scale. Bagchi mentioned the establishment of a high-level inquiry committee to address this issue, with the country awaiting its findings to shape its actions.
The alleged assassination plot reportedly involved an Indian citizen named Nikhil Gupta, alias Nick, who was arrested by Czech authorities on June 30. Gupta faces charges of murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire. The indictment brought forth by the US Department of Justice in a Manhattan federal court also implicated an unnamed Indian official referred to as CC-1.
Described as a “Senior Field Officer” within an Indian government agency, CC-1 allegedly holds responsibilities in “Security Management” and “Intelligence,” having prior experience in India’s Central Reserve Police Force with training in “battle craft” and “weapons.”
These revelations have surfaced as a result of an indictment, shedding light on a complex and alarming web of alleged involvement by Indian officials in a transnational assassination plot.
