The Pannun'killed' conspiracy: The story of how accused Nikhil Gupta was apprehended in Prague and turned over to the US prior to being charged

 The Pannun'killed' conspiracy: The story of how accused Nikhil Gupta was apprehended in Prague and turned over to the US prior to being charged

Nikhil Gupta, an Indian citizen, was transported from Prague to the US in mid-November on suspicion of organizing the assassination of a rebel from Khalistan. Gupta was charged with contract killing.

In mid-November, India Express reported that Nikhil Gupta, an Indian citizen, was moved from a high security jail facility in Prague to US jurisdiction on charges that he had plotted the assassination of a Khalistan rebel. This happened only a few days before the New York court received the indictment.

Nikhil Gupta is who?

As to the US indictment, a text message sent in May between Nikhil Gupta and an Indian security officer allegedly initiated the conspiracy to kill Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on US soil.

Gupta was identified by the prosecution as an Indian national engaged in the trafficking of weapons and narcotics, according to Reuters. Senior authorities allegedly desired that Gupta arrange Lakshya's murder in order to get the criminal accusations against him in India dropped.

From America to Prague

Recently, an Indian Express investigation offered more information about the situation. It said that on June 30, Czech officials apprehended and arrested 52-year-old Gupta when he was at the airport in Prague. He was reportedly there for "business and tourism" in the Czech Republic. But the article also said that "because of his alleged past in drug trafficking, he was reported to the Czech National Drug Authorities." Following this, Nikhil was arrested by the Czech government.

Nick Gupta, an Indian citizen held according to a US court order, was later brought to the attention of the Indian Embassy located in Prague by the authorities.

The study claims that at the time, the Indian Embassy was uninformed about Gupta's background. As a result, the Embassy complied with protocols for providing consular support to any citizen of India. To confirm Gupta's identity and nationality, they retrieved the data from his passport. This is a typical procedure.

Gupta's nationality was verified by the Indian Embassy, but Czech officials never disclosed the charges for which Gupta was under investigation.

Gupta did not ask the Indian Embassy for legal aid while the probe was still continuing, which is customary for Indian nationals living overseas. It is said that he made arrangements for his personal Prague attorney to defend him at the Czech criminal court.

One of the US government's top intelligence operatives visited India later in October of this year with material that would be included in the indictment that federal prosecutors were preparing for the US.

According to the article, "the Indian government took a closer look at the information and was shocked by the document and details." After a few weeks of evaluating the material, which included some damning evidence, they made the decision to look into it."

These specifics were just made available to the public as part of a US Justice Department prosecution.

According to the study, there was "concrete enough" evidence and information for Czech authorities to move Gupta to US jurisdiction. The Indian national was then turned over to the FBI.

In the meanwhile, the Indian government informed US authorities that it would look into the material provided. Following this, the Indian government decided to form a high-level investigation team on November 18 to investigate all facets.

Gupta was charged with contract killing. The court petition, which referred to the senior Indian official as a "senior field officer" with duties in intelligence and security management, did not, however, identify or charge him.

Only a few days had passed after the death of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar when the plot—which was thwarted by US authorities conducting the sting—was supposed to be followed by a slew of additional politically motivated assassinations in both the US and Canada. Charge.