Who is Vikas Yadav, the former RAW officer listed as 'wanted' by FBI in Pannun assassination plot?
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has formally named one of the suspects in the murder-for-hire plot in the US, targeting Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The former Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) official, who had previously only been identified as CC1, has been revealed as Vikas Yadav.
Charges against Vikas Yadav, aka CC1
His identity, which was first revealed by The Washington Post earlier this week, was confirmed on Thursday after the Justice Department announced criminal charges against him in connection with a foiled plot to kill Pannun, an Indian-born US and Canadian citizen living in New York City.
According to the Justice Department, Yadav faces murder-for-hire and money laundering charges in connection with his role in directing a foiled plot to kill Pannun in June 2023.
Who is Vikas Yadav?
The 39-year-old has been identified as a former employee of the Cabinet Secretariat, which houses India's foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), and according to the FBI, he ¡°remains at large¡±. Yadav is said to have worked with CRPF, before his stint with RAW.
In the first indictment filed last year, when the US had charged an Indian national named Nikhil Gupta, Yadav was only identified as CC1 (co-conspirator 1).
According to the DOJ, CC1 was a "senior field officer" with responsibilities in "security management" and "intelligence" and is said to have previously served in India's Central Reserve Police Force.
Yadav's role in Pannun assassination plot?
In the indictment, the DOJ noted that Gupta was in regular touch with CC1 and had hired a hitman at his behest to assassinate a high-value target in New York.
Gupta had shared details of the target, including photos, address, and details of his movements with the hitman, who was an undercover agent of the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
How India reacted
After the US went public with the failed assassination plot, India blamed rogue elements in R&AW for the unauthorised operation.
Earlier this week, India also informed the US that Yadav is no longer an Indian government employee.
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