An Indian diplomat whose arrest and strip-search caused a major rift in US-
Indian ties was effectively expelled from the United States as part of a deal in which she was granted diplomatic immunity from charges of visa fraud and lying about underpaying her nanny.
Devyani Khobragade, who was deputy consul-general in New York, was arrested on December 12th and indicted yesterday by a grand jury for visa fraud and making false statements about how much she paid her housekeeper.
Her arrest set off protests in India amid disclosures that she was handcuffed and strip-searched.
The dispute soured the broader US-India bilateral relationship, leading to sanctions against American diplomats in New Delhi and the postponement of visits to India by senior US officials and another by a US business delegation.
A United Nations diplomat familiar with the case said Ms Khobragade had flown out of the United States. In India, the foreign ministry said she was being transferred to a post in New Delhi.
Ms Khobragade's lawyer Daniel Arshack said she would leave with her head "held high."
“She knows she has done no wrong and she looks forward to assuring that the truth is known,” he said in a statement.
While both New Delhi and Washington stressed the importance of their bilateral relationship during the crisis, it has taken weeks of complex wrangling to find a workable solution both sides could live with.
Documents and statements from US officials reveal a dizzying 24 hours in which the State Department granted Khobragade diplomatic immunity, unsuccessfully asked India to waive that immunity and ordered her to leave the country immediately.
According to documents provided by Mr Arshack, the US mission sent a letter to Ms Khobragade on Wednesday granting her diplomatic status as of 5.47 pm that day.
Reuters