The official told Gupta - who the prosecutors described as an Indian national involved in drugs and weapons trafficking - about a "target" in New York.
The official wanted Gupta to orchestrate the target's murder, in exchange for getting criminal charges against him in India dropped.
While prosecutors have not identified the alleged victim, a senior administration official told Reuters it was Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a New York-based lawyer who leads a separatist group called Sikhs for Justice.
U.S. prosecutors did not name the Indian official, who they described as a government employee responsible for intelligence and security matters.
"We are all counting on you," Gupta told the purported hitman in a video call on June 12.
Persons:
Nikhil Gupta, Gupta, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Pannun, Narendra Modi's, Gupta's, Jake Sullivan, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Nijjar, Modi, Joe Biden, Justin Trudeau, Luc Cohen, Krishn Kaushik, Trevor Hunnicut, Heather Timmons
Organizations:
U.S . Department of Justice, Indian, Reuters, Justice, Administration, Manhattan, National Security, U.S, White, Canadian, Thomson
Locations:
Manhattan, New York City, U.S, DELHI, Indian, New York, India, India's Gujarat, United States, Washington, New Delhi, Vancouver, Prague, Delhi