An Indian RAW officer was involved in Conspiracy to kill a separatist Sikh American citizen In and around Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit last summer, federal prosecutors alleged in a damaging indictment filed in a US court in New York on Thursday (October 17, 2024).
Federal prosecutors claimed that the officer, identified as Vikas Yadav (39), was employed in the Cabinet Secretariat, which houses India’s foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).
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Yadav, who is no longer a government employee, is believed to have been charged with three cases, including murder for hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
He “remains free,” the Justice Department said.
His co-conspirator Nikhil Gupta He was arrested in Czechoslovakia last year and after extradition, he is lodged in an American jail.
US Attorney General Merrick B. “Today’s charges demonstrate that the Justice Department will not tolerate efforts to target and endanger Americans and undermine the rights that every American citizen is entitled to,” Garland said.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said, “The defendant, an Indian government employee, allegedly conspired with a criminal associate and attempted to murder an American citizen on American soil in order to exercise his First Amendment rights.” The Indian government has denied its association or involvement. With such a conspiracy to kill an American citizen on American soil. Following America’s allegations, New Delhi had formed an inquiry committee to investigate the matter. America has expressed satisfaction over India’s cooperation on this.
Second indictment is revealed within 48 hours Indian investigation committee is visiting here Meeting with an interagency team of officials from the FBI, Justice Department, and State Department on these issues.
“We are satisfied with the cooperation. This remains an ongoing process. We continue to work with them on that, but we appreciate the cooperation, and we appreciate them updating us on their investigation just as we update them on our investigation,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Wednesday. told reporters.
“The meeting that took place yesterday – we updated – we are broadly the US government – updated the members of the investigative committee about the investigation being conducted by the United States. We have received the latest information from them regarding the investigation they are conducting. It was a productive meeting and that’s where I’ll leave it,” Mr Miller said.
“They informed us that the individual named in the Justice Department’s indictment is no longer an employee of the Government of India,” he said.
The 18-page indictment, which was unsealed Thursday, posted photos of Yadav in military fatigues and also a photo of two men exchanging dollars in a car in New York, money federal prosecutors said was allegedly… were being given to the murderer. A conspiracy was hatched by Gupta and Yadav to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader in New York. The picture is of June 9, 2023. The name of the American citizen Sikh separatist is not mentioned in the indictment.
“By convicting RAW officer Vikas Yadav in the “Murder for Hire” conspiracy, the US government has assured its commitment to the fundamental constitutional duty to protect the life, liberty, and freedom of expression of American citizens at home and abroad.” Gurpatwant Singh Pannunthe general counsel for the separatist Sikhs for Justice said in a statement after the Justice Department issued the indictment.
The damaging indictment alleges that Yadav conspired with his co-conspirator Nikhil Gupta to kill the Sikh separatist leader in the summer of 2023. For this, Gupta had hired a person for the murder. The unidentified man, who was an FBI informant, asked for $100,000 for the job and received $15,000 as an advance payment on June 9, 2023.
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During the same month, President Joe Biden invited Prime Minister Modi on historic state visitWhich happened on 22nd June. According to the indictment, Yadav told Gupta and the hired killer not to work immediately before or during a trip to the state.
The indictment shows there was a connection between the murder of another Sikh separatist Nijjar in Canada During the same period. Federal prosecutors have shared communications between Yadav, Gupta and the alleged killer on both incidents.
“A few minutes later, Yadav messaged Gupta, instructing: “Let them also verify themselves… If they are able to get some evidence that he is in… then that will be further permission from our side,” a reference He was given the go-ahead to commit the murder as soon as it could be verified that the victim was at his residence, federal prosecutors alleged.
The Justice Department said the victim is a vocal critic of the Indian government and leads a U.S.-based organization that advocates secession of Punjab, a state in northern India that is home to a large population of Sikhs, an ethnic minority group. There is home. In India.
“The victim has publicly called for the separation of some or all of Punjab from India and the establishment of a Sikh sovereign state called Khalistan, and the Government of India has banned the victim and his separatist organization from India. US law enforcement detected and foiled a plot to murder the victim,” it said.
published – October 18, 2024 06:43 am IST