Although Yadav was identified by the U.S. Department of Justice in November 2023 and charged with “murder-for-hire” and money laundering, he was arrested in India just weeks later on separate charges of extortion.

New Delhi: The case of Vikash Yadav, a former Indian government employee implicated in a thwarted assassination plot against pro-Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the U.S., has taken a dramatic turn. In November 2023, Yadav was named by the U.S. Department of Justice and charged with “murder-for-hire” and money laundering. However, he was arrested in India weeks later on unrelated charges of extortion.

According to a report by The Indian Express, Yadav, who worked for India’s cabinet secretariat, was apprehended by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell in December 2023 after a Rohini resident filed an FIR against him. The complainant accused Yadav of extortion and kidnapping. Investigations into Yadav’s activities are ongoing, with authorities in both India and the U.S. likely to collaborate to gather evidence and assess the full scope of his alleged involvement in the assassination plot and the extortion case, which reportedly links him to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

The complainant alleged that Yadav, posing as a senior government official, expressed interest in his friends living abroad and inquired about his financial dealings. Yadav allegedly confessed to the police that he resorted to extortion due to financial difficulties, collaborating with an associate—a car dealer facing business losses.

Yadav’s arrest follows shortly after the U.S. Justice Department indicted him for the assassination plot against Pannun, which claimed that as a former Indian government employee, he played a crucial role in directing the conspiracy, adding an international dimension to the case.

The Indian government has confirmed that Yadav is no longer employed by them. The details of his alleged extortion scheme and its connection to Lawrence Bishnoi, a notorious gangster, further underscore the complexities surrounding this case.