Vikash Yadav, Charged In US For Alleged Pannun Murder Plot, Was Arrested By Delhi Police In December 2023 In Extortion Case: Report

Vikash Yaday was reportedly arrested by Delhi Police’s Special Cell in an extortion case in December 2023, less than three weeks after the US Department of Justice identified him as "CC-1", a co-conspirator, last November for allegedly plotting to murder Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

Yadav was granted bail in April 2024 after being held for four months in Tihar Jail, according to records cited in an Indian Express report.

Yadav was formally named by the DoJ on Friday and charged with "murder-for-hire" and money laundering in connection with the alleged Pannun murder plot.

When asked about Yadav, who is referred to as an "Indian government employee" in the DoJ indictment, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson on Thursday stated that he was "not part of the government of India set-up."

Yadav's arrest in Delhi and his release on bail are particularly significant as the FBI's New York office placed him on its wanted list on Friday, seeking information about him.

On 18 December 2023, Yadav was arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell after a Rohini resident lodged an FIR accusing him of extortion and kidnapping, and linking him to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

The complainant, a former IT company operator, claimed that he met Yadav in November last year through a mutual friend who introduced him as a senior government official.

The complainant alleged that Yadav was curious about his overseas connections and money transactions.

The complainant further claimed that Yadav informed him that he was an undercover agent executing a sensitive operation for a central agency.

According to the complaint, Yadav called the complainant on 11 December and warned him of a serious matter concerning his life, arranging a meeting at Lodhi Road.

The complainant alleged that Yadav arrived with an accomplice in a vehicle, forcibly abducting him and taking him to a flat near Defence Colony.

There, Yadav claimed that a contract had been placed on his life by Lawrence Bishnoi, at the behest of a Dubai-based person.

He claimed he was eventually “hit on my head” by Yadav’s accomplice, and forced to give his gold chain and some rings. He claimed they also visited a café that he runs and took cash from his outlet.

The police arrested Yadav and his associate the following day.

According to the chargesheet filed on March 13 in a Delhi court, they were charged under multiple IPC sections, including 307 (attempt to murder), 364A (abduction), and sections of the Arms Act.

Citing the chargesheet, a senior police officer said, “In his disclosure, Yadav told the police that his father was working with the Border Security Force, and he died in 2007. Yadav got married in 2015. He met (the complainant) at a social gathering and decided to make money after kidnapping him. His associate, who works as a car dealer, told the police that he was facing financial losses in his business and decided to join his (Yadav’s) plan," IE reported.

Yadav's place of birth, Pranpura, Haryana, matches the location mentioned in DoJ documents, Indian Express reported.

Yadav was held in Tihar Jail’s central jail number 1 on 23 December 2023.

He was granted interim bail in March on the grounds of his daughter’s illness and was released on regular bail on 22 April 2024.

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