- Yadav was arrested by Delhi Police on December 18 in the Indian capital.
- The indictment says he worked with people to kill Bannon.
- Yadav remains in India, and the United States is expected to seek his extradition.
A former Indian government official charged in the United States this week for allegedly directing a botched murder plot in New Delhi in December was arrested in an attempted murder case, according to court records and a police officer.
The US Department of Justice unveiled the indictment against Vikash Yadav, 39, on Thursday, alleging that he led a plot to kill a Sikh separatist in New York.
Since May 2023, the US indictment alleges that Yadav, described as an Indian government employee at the time, worked with others in India and abroad to direct a plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen.
The police officer said Yadav was arrested by Delhi Police on December 18 in the Indian capital Reuters On condition of anonymity.
Yadav and one of his associates were charged with attempted murder and other crimes, according to a file in the Delhi District Court.
RK Handu, Yadav’s lawyer, described the Indian accusations as “false”, adding that there was an “international conspiracy to bring shame on the Indian government and my clients.”
Handoo declined to comment further.
He and the police did not respond to questions about Yadav’s whereabouts. The Washington PostCiting US officials, it reported on Thursday that Yadav remains in India and the United States is expected to seek his extradition.
Yadav’s arrest was based on a complaint filed by an Indian businessman, who alleged that Yadav and his assistant kidnapped, assaulted and robbed him in December, according to details in a Delhi district court order dated February 23.
“The accused tortured and manhandled the complainant and demanded money from him in the name of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi,” the February 23 court order summarizing the complaint said.
The Indian National Investigation Agency stated that Bishnoi, who is imprisoned in the Indian state of Gujarat, is the leader of an organized criminal gang.
Bishnoi’s lawyer says he is contesting more than 40 cases on charges including murder and extortion, and many trials have not yet begun.
Canada separately accused Indian government agents this week of having links to the Bishnoi gang and running a campaign to target Indian dissidents in Canada. The Indian government denies these accusations.
In Yadav’s case in Delhi, the court order citing the complaint said: “The accused also brought a bank check book from the complainant’s cafe and obtained his signature on blank checks and then threw him near his car, threatening him to remain silent.”