A New York man planned to hire a hitman to kidnap, kill, and dismember a former business partner, according to prosecutors.
Navdeep Singh, 48, of Dix Hills, was allegedly willing to pay $100,000 and deliver 10 acres of land in India to get the deed done. Prosecutors said that Singh even made a down payment of $7,000.
"He conspired with a would-be hitman to put a deranged plan into action," said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly according to NBC Bay Area.
According to News 12 Long Island the "deranged plan" included torturing the man, extracting money from the man, and providing proof that the man was indeed dead.
"Not just dead, he wanted him dismembered, he told the hitman he wanted a picture of the man's head and another of his body," Donnely said according to News 12 Long Island.
Prosecutors said the men had rival companies in construction.
"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," Donnelly said.
"It is unfathomable the lengths to which this defendant was allegedly willing to go," she said.
Prosecutors said the victim had known Singh for years. The litigation involved a construction project the victim managed. During the project, the victim had to remove Singh's company from a job. The resulting civil litigation had been ongoing for two years.
Singh allegedly met with a co-conspirator multiple times and the plan also involved extorting $1 million from the victim.
Prosecutors said the defendant 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 and made a down payment of $7,000 to the man during a meeting about the plot.
Singh was arrested by members of the Nassau County Police Department's District Attorney Squad in Manhasset on June 7 after the he again drove near the victim's home.
Singh has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and criminal solicitation.
