New Delhi: Vikas Yadav, a former employee of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and a wanted fugitive by the FBI, was arrested by Delhi Police ten months ago on charges of attempted murder and kidnapping. U.S. prosecutors have indicted him for allegedly orchestrating a failed plot to assassinate Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and Canada.
Yadav was apprehended after a businessman from Rohini reported being kidnapped by Yadav and an accomplice, who claimed to have received a contract from gangster Lawrence Bishnoi to kill him. Following the incident, which involved threats and robbery, the businessman filed a complaint leading to Yadav’s arrest on December 18. He received bail a month later.
In addition to his arrest in India, Yadav faces charges in the U.S. for conspiracy to hire a hitman, a murder-for-hire plot, and money laundering. According to U.S. court documents, he recruited Nikhil Gupta to carry out the assassination in exchange for assistance in dismissing his criminal cases. The plot was thwarted when the hitman turned out to be an undercover law enforcement officer.
Details of the U.S. charges were unsealed recently, coinciding with an Indian inquiry committee’s discussions with U.S. officials regarding the case.