Vikas Yadav 'wanted' by FBI: What are the charges against ex-RAW officer named in Gurpatwant Singh Pannun assassination plot?

The US Justice Department has charged a former Indian intelligence officer Vikas Yadav who allegedly directed a foiled plot to murder a Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has added Vikash Yadav to their 'most-wanted' list.

Vikas Yadav is the second Indian national to be charged in the United States in the alleged plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Gurpatwant Pannun, an Indian origin citizen of the US and Canada, is the leader of banned Sikh for Justice (SFJ) and is vocal for his provocative speeches and pro-Khalistani stance. He is a wanted terrorist in India.

ALSO READ: Who is Vikash Yadav, ex-Indian govt worker on US' most wanted list

Charges against Vikas Yadav

On Thursday, the US Justice Department announced the filing of murder-for-hire and money laundering charges against Vikash Yadav. Yadav, 39, who remains at large, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and money laundering, the department said.


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.

ALSO READ: Who is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Khalistani separatist believed to be the brainchild of Pakistan's ISI?

Vikas Yadav’s alleged co-conspirator, Nikhil Gupta, 53, was previously charged and extradited to the US on the charges contained in the first superseding indictment. The US accused Vikash Yadav to assassinate Pannun from India.

The plot allegedly began in May 2023, with Vikas Yadav, then reportedly an employee of the Indian government, allegedly collaborating with individuals in India and overseas to execute the assassination. American officials are expected to pursue his extradition to face charges in the US, Reuters reported.

The Justice Department accused Vikas Yadav of directing the plot and said he hired Nikhil Gupta to engage a hitman to carry out the murder. Gupta allegedly contacted an individual he believed to be a criminal associate to hire a hitman. The individual was in fact a confidential source working with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the department said.

According to the Justice Department, Vikas Yadav was employed by the Indian government's Cabinet Secretariat, which houses the country's foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

ALSO READ: Nijjar was foreign terrorist and not Canadian: Canada's Oppn party leader Maxime Bernier

India's response

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) yesterday confirmed that the "individual" named in the US Justice Department's indictment is no longer associated with the Indian government.

"The US State Department informed us that the individual in the Justice Department indictment is no longer employed by India. I confirm that he is no longer an employee of the Government of India," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller yesterday confirmed that the Indian delegation had met with an inter-agency team from the FBI, Department of Justice, and the State Department. "We are satisfied with the cooperation," Miller told reporters.