Gurpatwant?Singh?Pannun assassination plot: 'CC1' no longer an employee of Indian government, says US
According to the US, 53-year-old Nikhil Gupta was working under the directions of a New Delhi-based Indian government official, who has only been identified in the DOJ indictment as CC1, a "senior field officer" with responsibilities in "security management" and "intelligence" and previously served in India's Central Reserve Police Force.
The United States has said that it is satisfied with the cooperation from India in the ongoing probe into an alleged hitman-for-hire case. US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller made the comments on Wednesday after an Indian Inquiry Committee into the alleged assassination plot of Khalistani separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun met with officials in the US.
CREDIT: REUTERS
Foiled assassination plot in US
Nikhil Gupta, an Indian citizen who was arrested in the Czech Republic in June 2023 for the failed assassination plot targeting Pannun, is currently facing trial in the US.
According to the US, 53-year-old Gupta was working under the directions of a New Delhi-based Indian government official, who has only been identified in the DOJ indictment as CC1, to carry out the murder.
CREDIT: BCCL
Who is CC1
CC1 was described as 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.
Earlier this week, it was reported that India had arrested CC1 and that he was no longer a government employee.
Though the identity of CC1 has not been officially revealed by India or the US, The Washington Post had named him as Vikram Yadav.
'CC1 no longer an Indian government employee'
"They did inform us that the individual who was named in the Justice Department indictment is no longer an employee of the Indian government. We are satisfied with the cooperation. It continues to be an ongoing process," State Department Spokesperson Miller said.
In March this year, it was reported that an investigation in India had found that rogue operatives not authorised by the government had been involved in the murder plot.
CREDIT: REUTERS
How Pannun murder plot fell apart
Gupta, who is said to have links with drugs and arms trafficking, was hired by CC1 in May 2023 and was tasked with assassinating a New York-based US citizen of Indian origin.
To execute the murder, Gupta hired a hitman, who was an undercover agent of the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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