US govt has recommended prison sentence of 21-24 yrs for Nikhil Gupta, half of the 40 yrs he faced. He was arrested in Czech Republic in June 2023 and later extradited to the US.
Gupta was arrested in Prague late last year & is now facing trial in a US court on charges of murder-for-hire relating to the assassination attempt on Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
US Drug Enforcement Agency claims it has been able to establish a link between former R&AW man Vikash Gupta, jailed Indian citizen Nikhil Gupta & plot to kill Sikh separatist Pannun.
Gupta was at centre of foiled plot to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. His family has termed suggestion that he has a son in Pakistan a ‘deliberate error introduced by an interpreter’.
Threat to life was cited for seeking exemption, says his lawyer. Former R&AW officer is also an accused in alleged murder-for-hire plot against Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Pannun.
In exclusive interview with ThePrint, Indian national Nikhil Gupta says he doesn’t know former R&AW officer Vikash Yadav & that all he needs is a ‘good lawyer to turn this around’.
Senior officers at R&AW do not know how to conduct covert operations. Many are police officers who don’t seem to understand the difference between an encounter and a covert hit.
Though Indian govt has conveyed that it no longer employs Vikash Yadav, US wants speedy probe into plot to assassinate SFJ founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, it is learnt.
IAF is firming up plans to revamp airlift capabilities with medium transport aircraft that will be assembled in India & serve as its main workhorse. Embraer is leading contender as of now.
This is the game every nation is now learning to play. Some are finding new allies or seeing value among nations where they’d seen marginal interest. The starkest example is India & Europe.
COMMENTS