Nikhil Gupta pleads guilty in US for Pannun's murder plot
What's the story
Nikhil Gupta, a 54-year-old Indian national, has pleaded guilty to three criminal charges in a United States court, according to a report by Reuters. A spokesperson for the US Attorney's Office in Manhattan said that the charges include murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, for which he could face up to 40 years in prison. Gupta entered his plea before US Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn at the Manhattan federal court on Friday, February 13, 2026.
Extradition details
Gupta was arrested in 2023
Gupta has been in custody in Brooklyn since his extradition from the Czech Republic to the United States in June 2024. He was arrested a year earlier on charges of plotting an assassination. The US prosecutors allege that he conspired with an Indian government official to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen and resident.
Official denial
India's government denied involvement
India's government, however, has denied any involvement in the alleged plot against Pannun, stating it is against government policy. The case has affected relations between India and the US and between India and Canada, with the latter especially soured for some time. US Attorney Jay Clayton emphasized that Gupta's actions were an attempt to violate American free speech rights and warned foreign actors against such behavior in the US.
Law enforcement response
FBI's statement on the case
FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky said Gupta was a "key participant" in the murder-for-hire plot against a US citizen. He stressed that the US will not tolerate transnational repression against its citizens exercising free speech. The case also involved Vikash Yadav, an officer with India's external intelligence agency, who is charged in the case but remains in India. Another separatist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was killed by masked gunmen outside a Sikh temple in Western Canada in June 2023.