An Indian man pleaded guilty on Friday to orchestrating a failed assassination plot against a Sikh separatist in New York, the first conviction tied to what officials in Canada and the United States say is a by the Indian government to murder dissidents. Prosecutors estimated that under federal guidelines, Mr. Gupta, a resident of India, would face a sentence of up to about 24 years. The indictment against Mr. Gupta outlined a brazen plot in which an Indian government official, Vikash Yadav, recruited Mr. Gupta in May 2023 to orchestrate the killing of Mr. Pannun. Mr. Gupta had told Mr. Yadav and others about his involvement in international narcotics and weapons trafficking, the indictment says. Mr. Yadav, in dealings brokered by Mr. Gupta, agreed to pay the purported hit man $100,000 to carry out the assassination, and Mr. Gupta and Mr. Yadav arranged to have $15,000 in cash delivered as an advance payment to the undercover officer, the indictment says.

Source: The Patriot February 13, 2026 23:08 UTC