Nikhil Gupta, accused of orchestrating an unsuccessful plot to kill Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York City, has pleaded guilty to three criminal charges in a Manhattan federal court.
Nikhil Gupta, 54, pleaded guilty on Friday to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering, a spokesperson for the US Attorney’s Office in Manhattan said. The charges carry a maximum combined sentence of 40 years in prison.
Gupta entered his plea before US Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in Manhattan federal court. His lawyers were not immediately available for comment.
US authorities have held Gupta in jail in Brooklyn since his June 2024 extradition to the United States from the Czech Republic, where police arrested him a year earlier. He had pleaded not guilty immediately after his extradition.
US prosecutors accused Gupta of plotting with an Indian government official to kill Pannun, a US resident and dual US -Canadian citizen who advocates for a sovereign Sikh state in northern India.
India’s government has dissociated itself from any plot against Pannun, stating that such actions go against government policy.
US authorities said the alleged assassination plots against Sikh separatists in the United States and Canada have tested diplomatic relations with India, which has denied involvement in such plots.
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