Pannun 'Murder' Plot Accused Nikhil Gupta Tells US Court He Was Not Made Aware Of His Rights At The Time Of Arrest: Report

Nikhil Gupta, the Indian national accused in the alleged plot to assassinate Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, has told a New York court that he was not informed of his legal rights at the time of his arrest in Prague, Indian Express reported. 

In a declaration filed on 23 June, Gupta claimed he was unaware of his right to remain silent or to consult an attorney when taken into custody.

“I was not made aware of any rights at the time of my arrest including any right to remain silent or to an attorney,” Gupta stated in documents submitted by his New York-based attorney Nola Heller.

The plea includes a motion to suppress certain pieces of evidence and statements, and to dismiss the money laundering conspiracy charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.

Gupta was detained on 30 June 2023 in Prague, and extradited to the US nearly a year later on 17 June, 2024. He is currently held in a federal prison in New York, with trial set to begin on 3 November.

He also recounted being taken from the airport in handcuffs and placed in “a dark coloured SUV with tinted windows,” alongside five Czech officers and two Americans, whom he later learnt were Special Agent Mark Franks and Task Force Officer Jose Sandobal.

In his plea, Gupta claimed that during a car ride following his arrest, “Neither Special Agent Franks nor Task Force Officer Sandobal brought up the allegations in this case to me during the car ride. At no point during the car ride did I mention anything about having someone in New York City killed.”

Gupta further alleged that the officers accessed his three phones without giving him an option to refuse or consult a lawyer, and that he was pressured to sign documents he could not read or understand.

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