A US court has issued an arrest warrant against Vikas Yadav, a former Indian employee, soon after Canada declared that there was no evidence against the allegations made against India.
The charge sheet against former intelligence officer Vikas Yadav was opened in a federal court in Manhattan on Thursday (October 17). It has alleged direct links between the Indian government and the assassination plot on American soil.
A US court has issued an arrest warrant against Vikas Yadav, a former Indian employee, soon after Canada declared that there was no evidence against the allegations made against India. The United States has filed chargesheets in the court accusing Vikas Yadav of conspiring to kill Khalistan separatist leader and American citizen Gurupatwant Singh Pannu. Based on this, the New York court issued an arrest warrant against Vikas Yadav on October 10. The United States charged Vikas Yadav with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy and money laundering. In the charge sheet filed in the court, America has stated that Pannu conspired with another person to kill.
The Justice Department indicted Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national accused of being a drug and arms smuggler, in the case last year. An unnamed Indian government official was also mentioned in the charge sheet. Prosecutors say the whole thing was planned. A new charge sheet released on Thursday identified the RAW officer as Vikas Yadav and made him a co-accused in the case. Both Vikas Yadav and Nikhil Gupta have been charged with conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Nikhil Gupta was arrested in Czech Republic last year and extradited to America. Nikhil Gupta declared himself innocent. According to the Department of Justice, Vikas Yadav is still on the run. Attorney General Merrick B. said that those who try to harm American citizens will be prosecuted. Meanwhile, Pannu is an American-Canadian citizen. He was a supporter of Khalistan who worked for Sikhs for Justice. US authorities claimed that the plot was hatched to kill Pannu on November 29, 2023 at his home office in New York. A former intelligence officer of India is alleged to have hatched this conspiracy.
