US officials have charged former Indian government official Vikas Yadav with involvement in a failed attempt to murder Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on US soil during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit.
Vikas Yadav, 39, who worked for the cabinet secretariat, which is home to India’s foreign intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), was charged with a crime by the Justice Department on Thursday.
In response to a question on the individual named in the US Department of Justice’s (DoJ) indictment in the case, External Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Randhir Jaiswal said Thursday in New Delhi that the individual is “no longer an employee of the government of India.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has also listed Vikas Yadav as a “wanted” fugitive.
What accusations are made against Vikas Yadav, and who is he?
Vikas Yadav is charged with “murder-for-hire and money laundering” about his involvement in orchestrating an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Khalistani pro-Khalistan leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
According to the Department of Justice, he “remains at large.”
In the initial indictment, Vikas Yadav was named “CC-1” (co-conspirator).
Federal Bureau of Investigation director Christopher Wray stated, “The defendant, an Indian government employee, allegedly conspired with a criminal associate and attempted to assassinate a US citizen on American soil for exercising their First Amendment rights.”
Nikhil Gupta, the criminal associate mentioned above, was detained in the Czech Republic and extradited to the United States to stand trial for the alleged plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. After being extradited, Nikhil Gupta, detained in the Czech Republic last year, is incarcerated in the United States.
US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated, “Today’s charges show that the Justice Department will not tolerate attempts to target and endanger Americans and to undermine the rights to which every US citizen is entitled.”
Additionally, the FBI released a “wanted” poster with three pictures of Vikas Yadav. The FBI claims that on October 10, a federal arrest warrant was obtained against him.
The indictment states that Vikas Yadav, also known as “Vikas” and “Amanat,” is the second individual indicted in the case.
Yadav has characterised his role as a “senior field officer” with duties in “security management” and “intelligence,” according to the indictment. Additionally, Yadav has “officer training” in “battle craft” and “weapons” from his time in India’s Central Reserve Police Force. According to the statement, Yadav, an Indian citizen and resident, was in charge of the murder plot against the victim from India.
Nonetheless, Vikas Yadav is depicted in one of his photos wearing an Army combat uniform without any rank epaulettes. According to the US indictment, he was an “Assistant Commandant” initially from the CRPF.
The 18-page indictment also includes a photo of two people in a car in New York exchanging dollars, which federal prosecutors claimed was the money paid to the alleged killer by someone acting on behalf of Vikas Yadav and Nikhil Gupta to kill the Sikh separatist leader in New York.