Nikhil Gupta, accused by U.S. federal prosecutors of plotting with an Indian government official to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, appears in federal court in New York City in this courtroom sketch. File photo for representative purposes only.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Indian national Nikhil Gupta, accused of being involved in a murder-for-hire plot against a Sikh separatist in New York City, âpleaded guilty on Friday (February 13, 2026) to â three criminal charges, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneyâs Office in Manhattan said.
Gupta, â54, pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and âconspiracy to commit money laundering, which âcarry â a maximum combined sentence â of 40 years in prison, the spokesperson said.
He entered his plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge âSarah Netburn in âManhattan federal court.
Lawyers for Gupta were not immediately available for comment.
Gupta has been jailed in Brooklyn since his âJune 2024 extradition to the United âStates from the Czech Republic, where he had been arrested â a year earlier. He had pleaded not guilty immediately after his extradition.
U.S. âprosecutors accused Gupta of plotting with an Indian government official to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a U.S. resident and dual U.S.-Canadian citizen.
Nikhil Gupta, accused of murder for hire plot against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, extradited to U.S.
Indiaâs government has dissociated itself âfrom any plot against Pannun, saying it was against government policy.
The â discovery of alleged assassination plots against â Sikh separatists in the United States and Canada has tested ârelations with India, which has also denied involvement in such plots.
Published â February 13, 2026 10:17 pm IST
