NEW DELHI: In a move that signalled FBI’s interest in Vikash Yadav but also left many here perplexed, the US probe agency appears to have intensified its efforts to get hold of the sacked R&AW operative by also issuing his “wanted” posters in Punjabi and Hindi.
The FBI website already had the poster of Yadav, who allegedly masterminded the botched plot to kill Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, under the “wanted” head in English. The notice left many intrigued as Yadav is not absconding, with Indian authorities informing their US counterparts that he was in jail for alleged robbery and is currently out on bail.
FBI’s unusual interest in catching Yadav appears to have stemmed from rumours spread by Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun that Vikash Yadav could be located within the territories of Haryana and Punjab, sources said.
Yadav arrest & extradition may not be an easy task
Yadav has been indicted in a New York court in the Pannun murder-for-hire plot in which FBI has also arrested an Indian origin alleged drug dealer named Nikhil Gupta.
Gupta was detained by Czech Republic authorities at Prague airport in June last year on the US govt’s request. He was accused of allegedly working with an undercover cop and hiring a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) informant to kill Pannun. Gupta was subsequently handed over to US authorities around the first week of Nov 2023, shortly before an indictment was filed in a New York court.
While FBI’s efforts show Yadav is a top priority for US law enforcement, his arrest and subsequent extradition may not be an easy task. Indian government is likely to reiterate its demand about two pending extraditions. While one is former DEA informant David Coleman Headley, aka Dawood Gilani, an operative of LeT who conducted recce for the gang that carried out 26/11 rampage in Mumbai, the other is Tahawwur Rana, also wanted in the same case.
