How Indian intelligence officers allegedly recruit businessmen to kill Canadian activists – Country
The newly released court documents detail how a senior Indian intelligence officer recruited businessmen to assassinate Canadian pro-Kalistan activists.
The unsealed archive says Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national suspected of drug and weapons trafficking, admitted to asking him to commit the killing at a meeting in New Delhi.
The goal is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a lawyer for Canadian and American citizenship, who is responsible for Sikh Justice, a New York-based organization that advocates Khalistan.
Pannun is a close assistant to Hardeep Singh Nijjar who was shot dead outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18, 2023 – a killing Canada blames India.
Both victims participated in a symbolic referendum on Khalistan, the independent state they ran for, aimed at building in the Sikh Punjab, which is now India.
India has long complained that supporters of the Khalistan movement operate in Canada. Meanwhile, Ottawa accuses India of killing Canada's sovereignty through the land of Canada.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the recent G7 summit in Kananaskis, but the dispute over the so-called Canadian event in New Delhi remains unresolved.
Vikash Yadav (aka Amanat) allegedly recruited Nikhil Gupta to offer to abandon the crime of robbery he faced in India.
U.S. District Court
According to documents filed in the U.S. District Court, Gupta admitted that he was involved in the plot to kill Pannu after being arrested at Prague Airport on June 30, 2023.
He said the plot began when he returned to his home in India after a trip to Uzbekistan and was told that he planned to appear in court on charges of robbery.
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He then contacted a man named Amanat who said he could clear Gupta's name.
“Gupta and Amanat met in New Delhi, India,” the statement concluded. “Amanat asked Gupta to kill someone in New York City.”
The United States claims Amanat is Vikash Yadav, who works in the Research and Analysis Force, an intelligence agency that reports to the office of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Yadav allegedly provided Gupta Pannun’s residence address, phone number and other information and arranged for the partners to deliver $15,000 in cash to cover the murder.
According to the U.S. allegations, after Gupta agreed to the homicide, Yadav told him that the charges were “taken in care” and “no one will bother you again.”
Records show that Gupta allegedly hired a killer he believed to be a Colombian cocaine supplier but was actually confidential information working for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
Gupta is accused of giving DEA sources $100,000 to kill Pannun and discussing other murders in Canada. The plot was still in the planning stage when Nijjar was killed.
Nikhil Gupta worked with U.S. investigators after her arrest in Prague.
U.S. District Court
According to court documents, Gupta showed an undercover agent a video of the killing and identified the victim as a Canadian target he mentioned earlier.
“This strongly suggests that Gupta and/or those who work with Gupta are responsible for the murders of the partner,” the U.S. Department of Justice wrote in the investigation summary.
The record said Gupta told undercover agents on June 19, 2023 that Pannon's murder “should be carried out as soon as possible without considering mortgage consequences such as potential damage to civilian bystanders or any protests or political unrest.”
“Gupta told the undercover agent that, in general, after he (the undercover agent) killed the scheduled victim, Gupta planned to instruct the undercover agent to kill other targets, at least some in Canada.”
However, when Czech police arrested Gupta at Prague Airport, a plan went wrong. The description of the arrest he posted in court said Gupta was cooperative and provided Amanat's contact information.
The contact information of Indian intelligence officers was allegedly found on Nikhil Gupta's phone call.
U.S. District Court
“The first thing Gupta said was, 'I want to cooperate. Bring me to the United States and I will work with you now.'” According to the description of the arrest in court.
Gupta has been extradited to the United States to trial the plot to kill Pannun. His lawyer hopes there is some evidence to be suppressed, one of which has been rejected.
The United States also accused Indian intelligence officer Yadav of murder conspiracy. He has not been detained and is on the FBI's most wanted list.
The RCMP has not publicly disclosed who is behind the Nijjar murder, but claims Indian government agents are involved. Four alleged killers were arrested in Alberta and Ontario in May last year.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Agency said in its annual report last week that foreign governments are increasingly using criminal groups to kill dissidents and opponents.
“That's what India is doing right now,” Pannu said in an interview on Friday, saying that the use of criminal networks allows the Indian government to “distance” between itself and the killing.
stewart.bell@globalnews.ca
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