Ex-R&AW officer case: Cops say need to analyse CDRs

A federal arrest warrant was issued against Vikash Yadav by a US district court in October 2023, charging him with murder for hire and money laundering conspiracy.

Delhi Police informed a city court on Monday that further investigation is needed in the extortion and attempted murder case involving former Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) officer Vikash Yadav. Investigators have accessed new call detail records (CDRs) relevant to the case, which are yet to be analysed.

Former Indian intelligence officer Vikash Yadav. (Reuters File Photo)

Yadav is also a key accused in a separate international assassination plot, with the United States alleging he orchestrated a failed attempt to kill Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Another accused in that case, Nikhil Gupta, is in US custody.

During a February hearing, additional sessions judge Sumit Dass of Patiala house courts summoned the investigating officer for an update after a prior absence due to election duty.

On Monday, the officer informed the court: “Further investigation into the matter is pending.”

When pressed for details, he stated that the police had obtained “a few call detail records which need to be analysed”.

The court scheduled the next hearing for May 22, when arguments on framing charges will begin.

Yadav was granted a third exemption from appearing in the court, after his legal team, led by advocate RK Handoo, moved an application citing a “threat to his life”.

In all three exemption pleas, Yadav has maintained that the allegations against him are “false and frivolous” and that the widespread publication of his personal details, including his address and photographs, has made him vulnerable to “nefarious elements.”

Yadav was arrested in December 2023 for allegedly kidnapping and torturing a man to extort money in the name of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. He was later granted bail in April 2023.

Separately, in the United States, Yadav is wanted for allegedly “masterminding” a plot to assassinate Pannun, who leads the banned separatist outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and has been designated a terrorist by India.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Yadav, who hails from Pranpura, Haryana, allegedly used the alias “Amanat” to relay information about the assassination plot to a co-conspirator. The FBI said Yadav and his associates arranged for $15,000 in cash to be delivered in New York as an advance payment for the hit.

A federal arrest warrant was issued against Yadav by a US district court in October 2023, charging him with murder for hire and money laundering conspiracy. His name now appears on the FBI’s Most Wanted list.