New Delhi, October 19
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released a wanted poster of Vikash (Vikas) Yadav, “a former Indian government employee”, in connection with his alleged role in directing a foiled plot to assassinate pro-Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on the US soil.
Vikash Yadav has been mentioned by the US Department of Justice documents as “CC-1” (co-conspirator) last November. The US Government charged Yadav with “murder-for-hire” and money laundering in the alleged Gurpatwant Singh Pannun murder plot.
Vikash Yadav, 39, was employed by the cabinet secretariat, which houses India's foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). the Ministry of External Affairs has stated that he is not employed with the government.
Vikas Yadav is charged in a second superseding indictment unsealed today in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, the department said. "The FBI will not tolerate acts of violence or other efforts to retaliate against those residing in the U.S. for exercising their constitutionally protected rights," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.
He has been charged by the US authorities for his alleged role in a foiled plot to assassinate pro-Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil around the state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
FBI director Christopher Wray told media that the defendant, an Indian government employee, allegedly conspired with a criminal associate and attempted to assassinate a US citizen on American soil for exercising their First Amendment rights,” said
The criminal associate referred to here is a person called Nikhil Gupta who was arrested in the Czech Republic and extradited to the US to face trial in the alleged plot to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Nikhil Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic last year and is languishing in a US jail after extradition, the officials further added.
The indictment stated, “Yadav has described his position as a ‘senior field officer’ with responsibilities in ‘security management’ and ‘intelligence’. Yadav also has previously served in India’s Central Reserve Police Force and received ‘officer training’ in ‘battle craft’ and ‘weapons’. Yadav is a citizen and resident of India, and he directed the plot to assassinate the victim from India,” it said.
However, one of Vikas Yadav’s photographs shows him in Army combat uniform, but does not carry any rank epaulets. The US indictment says that he was originally from the CRPF and was an “Assistant Commandant”.
Running into 18 pages, the indictment posts also gives a picture of two persons exchanging dollars in a car in New York, which federal prosecutors said was the money being paid to the alleged killer by a person on behalf of Nikhil Gupta and Vikas Yadav to assassinate the Sikh separatist leader in New York.
Vikas Yadav, also known as “Vikas” and “Amanat” is the second person to be charged in connection with the case.
The Indian government stated that Yadav is now no longer a government employee and that he has been dismissed from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) after being sent back from the RAW.
