Inside the U.S. Jail: Nikhil Gupta Unveils Shocking Details of Assassination Plot and Lack of Embassy Support

Nikhil Gupta is detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. This development is linked to India's ongoing diplomatic discussions with the Taliban government in Kabul, which remains unrecognized by New Delhi.

Nikhil Gupta, an Indian citizen, has been indicted by the US Department of Justice for allegedly participating in a murder-for-hire scheme targeting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an American citizen and Sikh separatist. In a recent conversation with The Indian Express, Gupta claimed that since his extradition from the Czech Republic to the United States on June 14, he has not had any communication or contact with representatives from the Indian government despite his family's multiple requests for assistance.

Gupta expressed his frustration by stating, “Since my extradition to the US from Prague, I have not had any consular access. No one from the Indian embassy has come to see me. My family has made several appeals, yet no one has visited me up to this point.” He is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center located in Brooklyn, New York. His responses were relayed to The Indian Express through a contact who maintains regular communication with him.

Interestingly, during his nearly year-long detention in Prague, Gupta mentioned that he received consular access from India three times. In late 2023, Gupta's family sought intervention from the Supreme Court in India regarding his situation. However, the court dismissed their plea, labeling the matter as “sensitive” and asserting that any necessary actions should be taken by the government.

Gupta's family has reportedly reached out via email to officials in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), but they have been unsuccessful in arranging a meeting with anyone. During the interview, the 53-year-old firmly rejected any association with Vikash Yadav, the individual alleged to be his co-conspirator in the assassination plot against Pannun. Gupta criticized the evidence provided by the US authorities, labeling it as “fabricated.”

Two months prior, Yadav, initially referred to simply as an “Indian official,” was identified by US prosecutors. Unlike Gupta, Yadav remains in India and is currently out on bail pertaining to an extortion case filed by the Delhi Police's Special Cell. Gupta stated, “Vikas is a common name, and Yadav represents a large community in India. I don’t know anyone by that name or connected to this case. The first time I came across that name was in the superseding indictment released in November 2024.”

Traveling from India to the Czech Republic, Gupta was apprehended by Czech authorities on June 30, 2023, at the request of the United States under the extradition treaty existing between the two nations. He faces accusations of involvement in an assassination plot against Pannun in New York. Following his extradition on June 14, he has been held at the Brooklyn detention facility.

Gupta noted that the prolonged legal proceedings have severely impacted his family financially, leading them to discontinue the services of a private attorney and seek representation from a government-appointed counsel in the United States. “All the financial resources we had were utilized in fighting the case in the Czech Republic. A lawyer was assigned to me on October 30, but after conducting my own inquiries, I found that the attorneys appointed to my case lack the required proficiency and experience in criminal defense and similar cases. One of them became a federal defender just ten days before being assigned to my case,” Gupta explained. He expressed the desire for competent legal representation but lamented that financial constraints make this challenging for him and his family.

Reflecting on his circumstances, he remarked, “Being a prisoner is never easy. However, for an innocent man who has been wrongly accused and is imprisoned far from home, away from loved ones, the experience can only be described as horrific. I want to appear resilient because I know my mother, wife, and children will see or hear about this.”

Gupta has been allowed to make phone calls to his family in India, managing to communicate with them at least once a month, if not more frequently. The Indian government has consistently denied any involvement in the alleged plot against Pannun. In response to inquiries concerning Yadav on October 18 of the previous year, when US prosecutors revealed his identity through a superseding indictment, a spokesperson from the MEA stated that Yadav is “no longer an employee of the government of India.”

When Gupta was in detention in Prague, the MEA acknowledged receiving three requests for consular access. However, following his extradition to the United States in June, the spokesperson indicated that the government had not received any further requests for consular assistance.