Uttam Khobragade, father of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade, walks after meeting Indian Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013. The arrest of the diplomat in New York City on visa fraud charges caused a diplomatic row Tuesday as the Indian foreign minister protested the woman's treatment as an indignity and angry politicians refused to meet with a visiting U.S. congressional delegation. Uttam Khobragade told the TimesNow TV news channel Tuesday that his daughter is not a criminal and her treatment was "barbaric." (AP Photo)
December 17, 2013 - 10:09 PM
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.
News from © The Associated Press, 2013