The U.S. authorities today accused an individual from India of plotting a murder, alleging that he intended to pay an assassin to kill a prominent Sikh separatist leader residing in New York City.
This follows suspicion of targeting a Sikh activist in western Canada. The newly filed indictment describes a genuine and alarming murder plot that was thwarted by undercover agents. In this indictment, it is claimed that an Indian national was planning the murder of an individual of Indian origin, a political activist and U.S. citizen living in New York City. According to this indictment, the DOJ stated that 52-year-old Nick Gupta was an employee of the Indian government residing in India.
In May, he attempted to engage a hitman in New York named Gurpatwant Singh Panun, an advocate for Khalistan, an independent state, and a director of Six for Justice. As per the indictment, he purportedly offered the hitman $100,000, but the hitman turned out to be an undercover DEA agent.
The indictment states that Gupta arranged for photos and surveillance video of the victim’s residence and in June, he pressured the source posing as a hitman, urging to “finish him.” Mentioning, “don’t take too much time, push these guys, finish him.” Referencing the Canada connection, around June, Hardeep Singh Nijer, a Canadian Sikh residing in Vancouver, was killed. Gupta allegedly sent a photo of the body to the hitman, who was an undercover source, and mentioned “there are three in Canada,” implying others were on the hit list.
The indictment reveals that by the end of June, Gupta flew from India to the Czech Republic, where he was arrested at the U.S.’s request. His current location remains unclear, but he faces multiple charges.
These developments raise at least two questions. Firstly, how did Gupta manage to reach the U.S.? Secondly, why was an individual charged in the U.S. but not in Canada? Canadian officials did not directly address these questions but emphasized the need for cooperation in managing such threats. Public Safety Minister Dominique LeBlanc mentioned that Canada is not alone in handling these specific threats and highlighted the importance of holding accountable those responsible for murdering a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil.
The indictment reveals that Gupta is an employee of the Indian government with responsibilities in security management and intelligence.
I am Atul Sharma, As a full-time blogger, my focus is on delivering news articles on this platform. Your visit to my blog is highly appreciated. Thank you!