New Delhi: The Gujarat Police has said that none of its documents show any criminal record against Nikhil Gupta (52), the Indian citizen accused by the United States of plotting to assassinate Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Gupta, who is currently in Czechia, is awaiting extradition to the US.
“We have inquired about the person named Nikhil Gupta. Prima facie inquiry did not find any case against him. I have confirmed with all four commissionerates in Gujarat. All DCPs from the city confirmed that they did not know who Nikhil Gupta was,” DGP Vikas Sahay told the Economic Times on Friday, December 1.
The United States on Wednesday, November 29, had said that Gupta was indicted on “murder-for-hire” charges in the alleged assassination plot to be carried out in New York a couple of months ago.
According to the US law enforcement officials, Gupta agreed to execute the ‘plot’ after he was assured by an Indian government official, who was codenamed CC-1, that a narc case registered against him in Gujarat would be “taken care of”. “Your Gujarat (case) has been taken care of” and “nobody will ever bother you again”, the official said. The US federal authorities also said the official offered to Gupta to arrange a meeting between him and a deputy commissioner of police in Gujarat.
According to the US authorities, Gupta is said to have described his involvement in international narcotics and weapons trafficking in his communications with CC-1 and others.
The Gujarat Police, for its part, said it does not even find a suspicious person named Nikhil Gupta in any case related to arms or drugs smuggling or meddling.
