Headline: US Revokes Citizenship of Indian-Origin Man Convicted of Rape

 Headline: US Revokes Citizenship of Indian-Origin Man Convicted of Rape

A US federal court has revoked the American citizenship of Indian-origin man Gurmeet Singh. The court ruled that Singh concealed a 2011 rape and kidnapping incident while applying for citizenship.

According to the US Department of Justice, Singh, who worked as a taxi driver, was driving a female passenger home in May 2011 when she fell asleep in the backseat. He then drove her to an isolated location. When she woke up, she found Singh on top of her with a knife to her throat. He then bound her, blindfolded her, removed her clothes, and raped her. The victim later escaped and sought help.

Just weeks after this incident, Singh applied for US citizenship, concealing what had happened, and became a naturalized citizen on October 19, 2011. After becoming a citizen, he was convicted of Rape in the First Degree and Kidnapping and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The Justice Department filed a denaturalization complaint in the Eastern District of New York federal court in February, based on which the court issued its ruling on August 26. Attorney General Todd Blanche said, "Fraudulently obtained citizenship will not protect criminals from justice." As a result of this ruling, immigration authorities can now consider deporting Singh to India once he completes his prison sentence.