Pannu murder conspiracy case, Indian citizen confessed to the crime in US court, possible punishment of up to 24 years

A major development has come to light in the high-profile case related to the conspiracy to murder banned terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu in America (Pannun Murder Plot Case). Indian national Nikhil Gupta has admitted serious criminal charges against him in a US federal court. After accepting the guilt, now the process of deciding the punishment has started, in which they can get a combined punishment of 20 to 24 years.

Nikhil Gupta, 54, pleaded guilty before a magistrate judge in federal court in Manhattan to charges of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The next hearing of the case has been scheduled for March 15, where there will be detailed arguments on sentencing points.

Changed stance after extradition

Nikhil Gupta was extradited from Czech Republic to America in June 2024. After extradition, he initially pleaded innocent and denied all charges (Pannun Murder Plot Case). However, after being in custody for more than a year, he has now confessed to the crime in court. At present, no official statement has been issued by his lawyers on this confession.

What are the prosecution’s allegations?

According to US prosecutors, Gupta is accused of planning the murder of Pannu, who lives in the US, in collaboration with an alleged Indian government official. According to the documents presented in the court, the help of middlemen and an undercover officer was taken to carry out this conspiracy. It is alleged that an advance payment of $15,000 was made in New York, which has been made the basis of money laundering charges.

International context regarding Pannu

Gurpatwant Singh Pannu has been declared a terrorist by the Government of India. He has dual citizenship of America and Canada and has been in controversies for a long time regarding anti-India activities and statements (Pannun Murder Plot Case). This matter is not limited only to criminal investigation, but is also considered sensitive in terms of India-US relations and international diplomacy.