Indian and American diplomats are in regular touch with each other and exchange intelligence over a range of issues, and New Delhi being informed of the arrest of an Indian national over an alleged plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist was part of such information-sharing, top intelligence sources told News18.
Nikhil Gupta, 52, has been charged with murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Matthew G Olsen has said.
US authorities said Gupta agreed to pay an assassin $100,000 to kill the Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.
The indictment has not named the US citizen but The Financial Times, citing unnamed sources, last week reported that US authorities thwarted a plot to assassinate banned Sikhs for Justice’s Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, and issued a warning to the Indian government over concerns it was involved in the plot.
Prosecutors said that Czech authorities arrested and detained Gupta on June 30, 2023, pursuant to the bilateral extradition treaty between the United States and the Czech Republic. It was not immediately clear when Gupta might be extradited to the US.
“This arrest is meaningless because Americans are suddenly trying to connect this to a government role. We have been sharing evidence against Pannun with US. Their response to the evidence should have been quicker. They keep mum when he threatens the Indian Prime Minister, the External Affairs Minister and the National Security Advisor on a daily basis,” an intelligence official told News18.
“Americans allegations are a matter of concern and we are committed to mutual cooperation,” the official added.
The development came on a day when India said that it has constituted a high-level enquiry committee to probe allegations relating to a conspiracy to kill the Sikh extremist on American soil.
On Wednesday, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said the US side shared some “inputs” pertaining to nexus between organised criminals, gun runners and terrorists and that India takes such inputs seriously since they impinge on “our national security interests as well” and that relevant departments were examining the issue.
India constituted a high-level enquiry committee on November 18 to look into all the relevant aspects of the matter, he said.
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