A Dix Hills man was charged with conspiracy and criminal solicitation for allegedly plotting to kidnap and kill a man and promising to pay a hitman $100,000 and 10 acres of land in India to complete the job.
Between May 29 and June 3, Navdeep Singh contacted and met with another co-conspirator multiple times about planning to kidnap and kill a man with whom he was engaged in extensive civil litigation. The victim knew Singh for several years as part of ongoing businesses dealings with his construction company and has been engaged in litigation with the defendant’s company, Gravity Construction Corp., for approximately two years after he took the defendant’s company off a job he was managing.
Singh allegedly offered the would-be hitman $100,000 and 10 acres of land in India if he kidnapped the victim, took him out of the state, tortured him, extorted him for millions of dollars, and eventually killed him. He allegedly took photos of the victim’s home and vehicle and sent them to the hired assassin to help him identify the victim.
Singh also allegedly purchased multiple burner phones for the intended solicitor to avoid law enforcement detection. He also allegedly made a down payment of $7,000 to the man during a meeting about the plot.
Singh, 48, was arrested by members of the Nassau County Police Department’s District Attorney Squad in Manhasset on June 7 after the defendant allegedly drove around again near the victim’s home. He was arraigned on June 8 before Judge Lisa Locurto on charges of Conspiracy in the Second Degree (a Class B felony) and Criminal Solicitation in the Second Degree (a Class D felony).
The defendant’s bail was set at $1 million cash, $2 million bond, and $5 million partially secured bond, and he was ordered to surrender his passport. He is due back in court on June 10. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison.
“The allegations against Navdeep Singh are deeply disturbing. Because of a years-long dispute with a former business associate and multi-million dollar pending civil litigation between their two construction companies, this defendant allegedly decided to hatch a plot to have his rival kidnapped and murdered,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly. “Singh was allegedly willing to pay $100,000 and give his would-be hitman 10 acres of land in India to brutally torture, extort, and eventually kill his former colleague. It is unfathomable the lengths to which this defendant was allegedly willing to go, but because of the incredible work of the Nassau County Police Department’s District Attorney Squad and my prosecutors his plot was thwarted, and we can say we saved a life this past weekend.”
“This was a very dangerous situation,” said Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder. “Thanks to the hard work of our District Attorney Squad working in partnership with DA Anne Donnelly and her tenacious prosecutors we prevented what would have been a tragedy: settling a business dispute with murder. We are very pleased to bring this man to justice and stop him from harming his intended victim or any Nassau County resident.”