Former CAPF and R&AW officer Vikash Yadav, accused by the US Department of Justice in a “murder-for-hire” plot targeting Sikh leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and involved in money laundering, has been arrested by the Delhi Police on charges including attempted murder, kidnapping, extortion, and violations of the Arms Act.
Yadav, who is on the FBI’s “most wanted” list, had a federal arrest warrant issued against him on October 10, as reported by The Print.
The report quoting sources said that Yadav was initially arrested in December last year and granted bail in April 2024. He faces charges under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including kidnapping for ransom, attempted murder, criminal conspiracy, and others, as well as under the Arms Act.
Yadav, identified as CC-1 (co-conspirator) in the original indictment filed by the US DoJ in 2023, was also linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, according to media reports. These reports were confirmed by sources, though details were not provided.
Yadav had previously sought interim bail in March, citing his one-year-old daughter’s severe respiratory illness. He was granted six days of interim bail and later released from Tihar jail after receiving full bail in April.
The first US indictment, issued in November 2023, implicated Nikhil Gupta, an Indian citizen, for contacting an undercover law enforcement official in the murder plot. Gupta is currently on trial in Brooklyn.
The US DoJ later identified Yadav as the Indian government official referred to as “CC-1.” Yadav had reportedly served as an assistant commandant in the CRPF and had been employed by the Cabinet Secretariat, which oversees R&AW. The Indian government has informed the US that Yadav was dismissed from service.
Yadav allegedly contacted Gupta in May 2023 to plan the assassination of India-designated terrorist Pannun, The Print reported.
