US: Pannun 'plotters' discussed another kill

US prosecutors have alleged that Indian national Nikhil Gupta and former intelligence operative Vikash Yadav, accused of involvement in a plot to kill Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, had discussed the murder of another individual in Nepal or Pakistan.

- HT Correspondent

The allegation was made in a document filed this week in the US district court in the Southern District of New York, which is set to begin the trial of Gupta on November 3. The 61-page motion mostly lists the evidence gathered against the two men by US prosecutors, including Yadav's email exchanges and hundreds of WhatsApp messages.

Czech authorities arrested Gupta at the request of US law enforcement in June 2023, and he was extradited to the US in June 2024. The external affairs ministry confirmed last October that the Indian government had sacked Yadav. A former officer of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Yadav was deputed to the external intelligence agency. He was removed from his position after an indictment filed by US prosecutors in November 2023 pointed to his role in the alleged plot.

The new court filing alleged that Gupta and Yadav began working together in early May 2023, when "Yadav asked Gupta to arrange the murder of the Victim [and] the murder of another individual in Nepal or Pakistan". Though the document doesn't name the "victim", it is apparently referring to Pannun.