An Indian national has pleaded guilty in a U.S. court to conspiring to kill a Khalistan movement leader who is an Indian-origin American citizen. The U.S. Department of Justice said that 54-year-old Nikhil Gupta admitted before a federal magistrate judge in Manhattan to charges of murder-for-hire conspiracy, hiring a hitman, and money laundering. His sentencing is scheduled for May 29 this year, and he faces up to 40 years in prison.

According to U.S. prosecutors, Gupta acted under instructions from an Indian government employee to target a U.S.-based Indian-origin individual, widely believed to be Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a prominent Khalistan activist. Court documents identify the official as Vikas Yadav, an employee of India’s Cabinet Secretariat, under which the foreign intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) operates. Gupta allegedly sought to hire a hitman, negotiated a payment of $100,000, and provided detailed information about the target’s residence and movements.

Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic in June 2023 and extradited to the United States in 2024. The Indian government has not yet commented on his guilty plea.