NEW DELHI — An Indian diplomat says she underwent repeated cavity and strip searches following her arrest in New York City on visa fraud charges.
The case has escalated into a diplomatic storm between the United States and India.
Devyani Khobragade (dayv-YAHN’-ee KOH’-bruh-gah-day) is India’s deputy consul general in New York. She was arrested last week on charges that she submitted false documents to obtain a work visa for her Manhattan housekeeper.
In an email to her foreign service colleagues in India, the 39-year-old Khobragade said she “broke down many times” and faced “repeated handcuffing, stripping and cavity searches.”
An Indian official with direct knowledge of the case confirmed the email was authentic.
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