Not since Kulbhushan Jadhav has a R&AW agent captured the Indian public imagination like Vikash Yadav.
Yadav’s world has turned upside down. After years of battle against R&AW, an alleged foiled plot, and now accused in an extortion case, the 39-year-old Indian spy’s life has taken a 180-degree turn. “Vikash” is now neither associated with R&AW nor the CRPF in India. For the US, he is a fugitive; in India, he is a criminal. But he has set off an unprecedented diplomatic row between the world’s oldest and largest democracies.
Pictures of 39-year-old Vikash Yadav, a former CRPF and former R&AW agent, are all over the internet, thanks to the FBI’s most wanted poster. He has been charged with “murder for hire” in connection with an alleged assassination plot against the legal counsel of Sikhs For Justice and India-designated terrorist, US-based lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, in New York.
There are many ways to enter his story. Multiple narratives exist regarding what exactly might have happened. Is Vikash Yadav a patriot thrown under the bus for trying to take out India’s enemy? Is he a Hollywood-style ‘rogue agent’?
From questions about his appointment, to his ‘extortion’ case with the Delhi Police, along with social media commentary on what exactly went wrong, the Yadav tale is full of twists and turns. This is why this man from a tiny village (Pranpura) nestled in Haryana is the ThePrint’s Newsmaker of the Week.
Some cheer for Yadav, the son of India and a patriot; others compare him to R&AW’s Black Tiger, Ravindra Kaushik, and Kulbhushan Jadhav. Some are criticising journalists for breaking exclusives on the matter, while TMC MP Mahua Moitra is hitting out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, referencing the Sohrabuddin case, saying that the globe isn’t Gujarat. His lawyer claims in front of the media that he never even left the country. Some even have tips for India—on how not to get “caught”, while others have urged India not to extradite him until we get David Headley.
Away from social media and the chatter in the power corridors of Delhi, Vikash Yadav’s family worries for his future, and his pet Beagle yearns for the sound of his footsteps.
Someday, there will probably be a web series or a movie about this, and hopefully, it will focus on how not to make a juvenile plan and how Indian intelligence needs revamping. Above all, it should convey: don’t underestimate the intelligence of another country, especially not the US.
Also read: US Justice Dept draws link between PMO & Vikash Yadav, RAW ex-officer accused in Pannun plot
Lessons for spying
From a family of men who have served in the Indian armed forces and police, it seems that Yadav was a spy in the making from the start. His father served in the BSF, and his brother works in the Haryana police. For his village, he is a role model—the man who did it all. A source close to Yadav described him as a “soft-spoken” man with the kindest heart.
However, his nine years in R&AW—especially the latter years—were marked by his struggle for confirmation in the post of Senior Field Officer (General) or SFO(G) with the Cabinet Secretariat, the parent agency of RAW. His eligibility to be an officer was a bone of contention until he received final approval from the top brass in October last year.
Throughout these nine years, his frustration over not being confirmed was evident in his letters and representations to his bosses, where he described his “mental agony” and “humiliation”.
One might wonder why this approval came just months after US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and CIA chief William Burns reportedly had discussions with NSA Ajit Doval in New Delhi. This dialogue was followed by an unsealed indictment regarding the alleged Pannun murder plot in November, which revealed the specifics of what India allegedly planned to do on foreign soil to eliminate its enemies. This was a significant warning for India.
Cut to December: Yadav was booked in an attempt to murder and kidnapping for ransom case by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police. He and his “associate,” identified as one Abdullah Khan, were arrested after the complainant, Raj Kumar Walia, a Delhi-based cafe owner, accused them of assaulting him, injecting him, looting him of Rs 50,000 and some gold jewellery, and then forcing him to sign two blank cheques. Yadav was arrested and granted bail in April this year, complicating his extradition to the United States for trial.
All this while, a paper trail was left behind—his bail order and Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) filings, which ThePrint has accessed.
Whether Yadav did it or not is a separate argument, but a pure assessment of the US indictments reveals a lesson for all spies and spy agencies: use voice over internet protocol, opt for better encrypted platforms for communication, don’t save messages, avoid being overly enthusiastic, and don’t hire random middlemen.
Also read: No CCTV or weapon of offence, chargesheet relies on Vikash Yadav’s disclosure in 2023 extortion case
Juxtaposing 2013 & 2023
Walia, the man behind the extortion case against Yadav, was once himself imprisoned in a kidnapping for ransom case in 2013, which even made it to the Crime Patrol series in 2014. According to court documents accessed by ThePrint, Walia and eight others were acquitted in that case. Four of the accused were identified as “professional kidnappers”. “The complainant has failed to identify the accused persons, who were not his employees,” the court noted while acquitting all nine.
In the 2013 case, the complainant said that four to five men had entered his guest house claiming to be from the “Special cell”. He alleged that they administered some liquid, demanded Rs 2 crore, and forced him to sign blank cheques.
In the case against Yadav in 2023, Walia claims he was injected and coerced into signing blank cheques. However, the charge sheet remains silent on Yadav’s motive for the alleged crime; it only details what he did, not why he did it. Moreover, the DVR containing the CCTV footage from the cafe was reportedly taken and could not be recovered. The “weapon of offence” used in the kidnapping also remains unaccounted for.
Questions arise about the case against Yadav. Why would a man who has served in the CRPF and R&AW extort a businessman for only Rs 50,000? He was arrested at his Andrews Ganj residence, and in his statements, he admits to his involvement.
Meanwhile, as Yadav may be sitting in a safe house somewhere in Delhi, he might wonder how this situation will unfold for him. His entire life has become a matter of public record, raising questions about his capabilities as a R&AW officer.
He must also recognise that questions will arise about how India treats its real patriots and how not to leave behind evidence, if at all, for operations on foreign soil—most importantly, how to steer clear of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Prashant)