New Delhi
Vikas Yadav, a former Indian government employee on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s wanted list, was arrested ten months ago by the Delhi Police on charges of attempted murder and kidnapping.
The former officer of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) has been charged by US prosecutors for his alleged role in directing a failed plot to kill Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who holds dual citizenship of the US and Canada. The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday confirmed that the individual named in the US Justice Department’s indictment was “no longer an employee of the government of India”.
Vikas Yadav, also known as Vikash Yadav, was arrested by the special cell of Delhi Police in December last year after a complaint by a businessman from Rohini in north west Delhi and a chargesheet was filed in March this year. Yadav got bail a month later in April.
The businessman – who is said to have many contacts in west Asia – told police that his acquaintance had introduced him to Vikas Yadav in November 2023 and told him that he was a senior government officer. They soon shared mobile numbers to stay in touch.
According to the complaint, Yadav often asked him about his work and friends. The former government employee had also told him that he worked as an undercover agent. But, he never shared any information about his work and office, the businessman told the police.
On December 11, Yadav called him and said that he wanted to discuss some issue and asked him to come to Lodhi Road, as per the complaint. There was another man with Yadav when he reached the location. The businessman claimed that they forcibly kidnapped him and took him to a flat in Defence Colony, where Yadav told him that gangster Lawrence Bishnoi had given him a contract to kill him.
Yadav’s associate then hit him on the head and took away his gold chain and rings, he alleged, adding they went to his cafe and took whatever cash was there. According to the complainant, they left him on the side of a road and threatened him with a dire outcome if he complained to anyone.
The businessman soon went to the police and a First Information Report or FIR was filed in the case under the sections of attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy and kidnapping. Yadav and his associate were arrested on December 18.
During interrogation, the associate told the police that he joined the conspiracy with Vikas Yadav as he had suffered losses in his business of old vehicles. He said that Yadav told him that his father was in the Border Security Force.
Vikas Yadav said that he planned the whole crime the day he met the businessman. Delhi Police filed a case in March, and Vikas got bail in April. Although Vikas got interim bail on March 22, but then he got regular bail in April.
