3 Things Nikhil Gupta's guilty plea, grading top bureaucrats, and online gang influence
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Feb 18, 2026 Divya A, The Indian Express journalist who covered Nikhil Gupta’s guilty plea, outlines the arrest, extradition and links to an alleged international assassination plot. Harikishan Sharma, reporter at The Indian Express, explains a new 100-point administrative scorecard for Union Secretaries and the debates over measuring bureaucratic performance. The show also probes how social accounts linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang reportedly recruited young men.
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Transnational Assassination Plot Exposed
- Nikhil Gupta allegedly hired a hitman in New York to kill a Khalistani separatist while claiming to act for an Indian official.
- The plot surfaced because the hired killer was a U.S. double agent, exposing a transnational hit-and-run pattern.
Named Official Linked To The Case
- U.S. authorities later named 'CC1' as Vikas Yadav, a former CRPF official tied to alleged extrajudicial plots.
- India arrested Yadav on separate charges, but he is out on bail and his whereabouts remain unclear.
Guilty Plea Ends Trial, Sentence Pending
- Gupta pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and money laundering, waiving trial.
- He faces sentencing on May 29 and could receive above 20 years, up to a theoretical 40-year maximum.