Indian accused in Pannun murder plot taken to US

NIKHIL Gupta, accused by the US Department of Justice in November 2023 of allegedly being involved in the murder-forhire of US citizen and Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, was extradited to the US on June 14 from Ruzyne Airport in Prague, a year after his detention there.

-  YESHI SELI

Gupta, 52, is expected to appear before a New York court soon. If the charges against him are proven, he could face up to two decades in prison, according to sources. The decision to extradite Gupta was made on June 3 by the Minister of Justice of the Czech Republic, Pavel Blazek. This decision followed two earlier decisions to extradite him: the first by the Municipal Court of Prague on November 23, 2023, and the second on January 8, 2024 by the Prague High Court.

"The extradition to the US was authorised for criminal prosecution on suspicion of committing the crime of conspiracy to commit a murder for hire with the intent to cause death, in violation of US laws," said Vladimir Repka, spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic.