As team probing assassination plot visits Washington, India tells US accused has been arrested: Report

India has told the United States that the Indian official accused of directing the plot to assassinate a US national has been arrested, according to a report.

The development comes ahead of a visit of the India team investigating the matter to the United States.

The development is related to an ongoing case in the United States in which the US Department of Justice (DoJ) said that an Indian official, only identified as ‘CC-1’ in legal filings, recruited an Indian national named Nikhil Gaupta to assassinate a US national. The DoJ said that Gupta in turn sought services of another person for the assassination, but the plot was foiled as the person he contacted was a US law enforcement informant.

Gupta, who the DoJ says described himself as a drugs and weapons smuggler, was arrested last year and is currently in custody in the United States.

Now, Hindustan Times has said that India has that India has arrested the official identified as CC-1.

While the DoJ did not name CC-1, Washington Post identified the official as Vikram Yadav of the spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

The target of the alleged assassination plot is understood to be Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a designated terrorist associated with the outlawed Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), an organisation part of the Khalistani movement.

India arrests CC-1, sacks from service: Report

The Indian government has sacked CC-1 from service and has arrested him, said a US official to HT.

The official further told the newspaper that the Indian government has conveyed that the high-level committee continues to look into the matter.

After the United States shared the plot’s details, India formed a high-level committee to probe the case. While the committee’s members were not publicly disclosed, it was shared with the United States, according to the newspaper.

The United States is “encouraged” by the steps that India has taken, said the official.

“We are encouraged that this person is no longer a government employee. We have also been informed that he has been arrested on local charges. The Indian enquiry committee is travelling to Washington DC and will also be meeting officials here,” said the official.

There has been a “sustained engagement at the highest levels” to address the matter, according to the official.

There has been “frequent” and sustained engagement between US National Security Adviser (NSA) Jake Sullivan and Indian NSA Ajit Doval and between other officials at different levels, said the official.

Indian team in US at a time when Canada trains guns at diplomats

The US Department of State (DoS) said that an Indian team investigating the matter is arriving in the United States on Tuesday.

The DoS said in a note to the media that the team will discuss the case, including the information collected so far, with the US officials. It further said that the US officials will also update the Indian team on the progress of the case.

“An Indian Enquiry Committee that was established to investigate activities of certain organized criminals is actively investigating the individual who was identified last year in the Department of Justice’s indictment as an Indian government employee who directed a foiled plot to assassinate a U.S. citizen in New York City. The Enquiry Committee will be traveling to Washington, D.C. on October 15th, as part of their ongoing investigations to discuss the case, including information they have obtained, and to receive an update from U.S. authorities regarding the U.S. case that is proceeding,” said the DoS.

The note was initially removed from the DoS’ website even though it remained with the journalists whom it had been emailed to. Later, the note was resent to journalists and was put on the website again.

The Indian team’s visit as well as the news of CC-1’s arrest comes at a time when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has plunged the India-Canada relationship to the all-time low over allegations of an Indian hand in the death of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Last week, Trudeau’s government declared top Indian diplomats as persons of interest in the case and then, yesterday, Trudeau and his government accused India of running a full-fledged espionage and organised crime network in Canada covering spying, intimidation, and assassinations.

The US official cited above told HT that the Indian team’s visit is not linked to the Canadian government’s actions and had been scheduled in advance.