Who is Vikash Yadav? US Indictment in Pannun Case Offers Hints, Says He is Trained in Battle Craft

Born in Pranpura in Rewari, Haryana, and 39 years of age, the former Indian government employee, Vikash Yadav, is now wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the foiled assassination plot of Gurpawant Singh Pannun.

The US indictment says Yadav also goes by the alias of ‘Vikas’ and ‘Amanat’.

“Yadav is a citizen and resident of India. During times relevant to this superseding indictment, Yadav was employed by the Cabinet Secretariat of the Government of India, which houses India’s foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). RAW is an arm of the Cabinet Secretariat. Yadav has described his position as a ‘senior field officer’ with responsibilities in ‘security management’ and ‘intelligence’…he has listed his employer’s address as the CGO Complex in New Delhi, where RAW is headquartered,” the US indictment has mentioned.

It also says that Yadav served in India’s Central Reserve Police Force, India’s largest paramilitary force. “He described his position there as an ‘assistant commandant’ with command of a 135-member company. Yadav has reported receiving counter intelligence, battle craft, weapons and paratrooper training,” the US indictment said.

The US indictment has also published a picture of Yadav in military fatigues.

India has maintained that Yadav may have acted on his own accord and that he has been expelled from service. The US in a statement earlier said that Yadav remains at large.

The US indictment has claimed the initial plan of Yadav and Nikhil Gupta (the hitman allegedly hired by Yadav) was to approach Pannun under the guise of obtaining legal advice and lure him to a place “where he could be more easily executed”. But later, the plan changed to target Pannun “at his house, office or the café he visited”. US claimed it foiled the assassination plot by arresting Gupta in Czech Republic.

The indictment has claimed that Yadav involved Gupta in the plot who in turn contacted a criminal associate in the US, who was in fact a “confidential source” (CS) working with the US law enforcement authorities. The assistance of CS was allegedly sought to contract a hitman for the job, and CS put Gupta in touch with an undercover US law enforcement officer. The deal was struck at $1,00,000 and $15000 was paid in advance on June 9 to this hitman through an associate of Yadav, US said.