RAW officer Vikram Yadav 'hired hit team' to kill Pannun, claims Washington Post
- In Reports
- 10:40 PM, Apr 29, 2024
- Myind Staff
Vikram Yadav, an officer allegedly associated with the Research and Analysis Wing, is accused of orchestrating a plot to target Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States by hiring a hit squad, a report by the Washington Post has claimed.
As per the report, Vikram Yadav, who is reportedly employed with another government organisation presently, allegedly shared information about Pannun, including his address in New York.
The Washington Post claimed that the Ministry of External Affairs declined to respond to its article.
Unnamed former US and Indian security officials, mentioned in the report, disclosed that Yadav had transmitted Pannun's contact information, including his New York address, to the would-be assassins. "As soon as the would-be assassins could confirm that Pannun, a U.S. citizen, was home, “it will be a go ahead from us,” the outlet reports.
In November 2022, a Financial Times report revealed that the US had thwarted an attempt to assassinate Pannun. The report further asserted that the US had warned the Indian government over concerns that New Delhi might have been “involved in the plot” to eliminate Pannun.
India has vehemently denied the allegations, labelling the purported conspiracy against Pannun as contrary to official policy. Prompted by the US accusations, the government set up a high-level inquiry committee in November 2023 to delve into the murder plot allegations.
In the aftermath of this incident, an indictment was lodged in a Manhattan court alleging that Nikhil Gupta conspired with an Indian government official in the scheme to assassinate Pannun, who possesses dual citizenship of the US and Canada.
The indictment cited an unnamed individual, identified as 'CC-1', purportedly directing the plot to eliminate Pannun from India. According to the charges, 'CC-1' enlisted Nikhil Gupta, the alleged intermediary, in May 2023 to coordinate the assassination of Pannun.
The Washington Post report claims that this 'CC-1' was Vikram Yadav.
After the US Justice Department charged Nikhil Gupta for being involved in the alleged murder plot of Pannun, he was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30, 2023.
According to US officials, Gupta had agreed to pay $100,000 to an assassin to carry out the killing, with an advance payment of $15,000 already made on June 9, 2023.
Image source: AP
Comments