Vikash Yadav, ex-RAW official ‘wanted’ in Pannun case, was arrested last year
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a wanted poster for Vikash Yadav, a former employee of the Indian government, in connection with a failed assassination plot against pro-Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on U.S. soil.
On Thursday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that Yadav, named in the indictment by the U.S. Justice Department regarding the foiled plot, is no longer an employee of the Indian government.
A recent Indian Express report indicate that the Delhi Police's Special Cell arrested Yadav in an extortion case less than three weeks after the U.S. Department of Justice identified him as “CC-1” (co-conspirator) in November. Yadav had been released on bail in April.
The charges against him, announced by the Justice Department, include “murder-for-hire” and money laundering concerning the alleged plot against Pannun.
Yadav, 39, was previously employed by the Cabinet Secretariat, which oversees India's foreign intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), according to federal prosecutors.
The basis for Yadav's recent arrest stems from an FIR lodged by a resident of Rohini, who accused him of extortion and kidnapping and claimed Yadav has links to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The complainant, who once operated an IT company, reported that Yadav had shown interest in his financial dealings with friends abroad.
The complainant revealed that he met Yadav at a social gathering in November last year. Although they initially forged a friendship, Yadav's curiosity about the complainant's overseas connections led to a scheme where Yadav, facing financial difficulties, allegedly plotted to kidnap him for ransom. The associate involved in the scheme, a car dealer, also cited financial losses as the motive for joining Yadav’s plan.
The complainant approached the police on December 17 after being kidnapped by Yadav and an accomplice. This incident has further complicated the legal troubles surrounding Yadav, who is now at the center of two significant investigations.
