NEW YORK: Indian citizen Nikhil Gupta, 54, has admitted guilt in connection with a murder-for-hire scheme targeting a Sikh separatist leader in New York City. On Friday (February 13, 2026), Gupta pleaded guilty to three charges — murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering — according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan. The charges carry a potential maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Gupta entered his plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in federal court in Manhattan. His attorneys did not immediately respond to requests for comment. He has been held in custody in Brooklyn since June 2024, following his extradition to the United States from the Czech Republic. Authorities there had arrested him in 2023. At the time of his extradition, Gupta had pleaded not guilty. U.S. prosecutors allege that Gupta worked with an Indian government official in a plot to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen and resident of the United States. The Indian government has denied any role in the alleged scheme and has stated that such actions would contradict official policy.
India’s government has dissociated itself from any plot against Pannun, saying it was against government policy. The discovery of alleged assassination plots against Sikh separatists in the United States and Canada has tested relations with India, which has also denied involvement in such plots. (Agencies)
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