Pannun murder plot: Accused Nikhil Gupta pleads guilty in US court

On several occasions after the case came to light, New Delhi dissociated itself from any plot against Pannun, saying it was against government policy. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) strongly dismissed allegations regarding the assassination plot, calling the allegations “unwarranted and unsubstantiated”.

In November 2023, an indictment filed by the US Justice Department was unsealed, alleging that a former Indian government employee, referred to as “CC-1,” enlisted Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, to recruit a hitman to assassinate Pannun in New York. However, US authorities foiled the plot before it could be executed.

In response to the case, India set up a high-level inquiry committee to address security concerns raised by the US. The MEA reiterated India’s commitment to taking such matters seriously, given their implications for national security.

In October 2024, the MEA confirmed that the individual named in the US Justice Department’s indictment related to a foiled assassination plot against Pannun was no longer employed by the Indian government.

On being arrested in the Czech Republic in 2023 and his extradition to the US in 2024, Gupta — through his attorney — had denied the charges, saying he had been “unfairly charged”.

Gupta’s attorney, Rohini Musa, wrote in a petition to the Supreme Court that her client was being unfairly prosecuted, adding there was “nothing on record to link the Petitioner to the massive alleged plot to assassinate the alleged victim”.

Musa, in fact, complained that Gupta received adverse legal advice from a Czech government-appointed attorney “under the undue influence of … US Agencies” during the initial phase of his detention.

As reported by The Indian Express, Gupta — in his plea in the court last year — even sought to exclude some statements made to law enforcement officers, saying he was not made aware of any rights at the time of his arrest, including the right to remain silent or to an attorney.

Documents submitted on Gupta’s behalf by his New York-based attorney Nola Heller included a motion to suppress certain pieces of evidence and statements, as well as the third count of the second superseding indictment, pertaining to money laundering conspiracy, which can lead to 20 years’ imprisonment.

“I was not made aware of any rights at the time of my arrest including any right to remain silent or to an attorney,” Gupta said in the declaration submitted to the court on June 23, 2025, along with a motion to suppress some pieces of evidence and drop money laundering charges submitted by Heller.

The defence had also challenged the use of data from Gupta’s phones and some of the statements made to Czech and US officials immediately after his arrest in Prague on June 30, 2023.