Indian-Origin Taxi Driver Convicted Of Rape "No Longer A US Citizen"

An Indian-origin man, who had been a US citizen, has been stripped of his citizenship after he was convicted of rape. Gurmeet Singh (55), a taxi driver, reportedly kidnapped and raped a female passenger at knifepoint in New York in 2011. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted of the violent assault in 2014, according to the US Justice Department. 

In a statement, the US agency said Singh had concealed his criminal past while applying for US citizenship, which he obtained months after the attack.

Attorney General Todd Blanche said Singh, a convicted rapist from India, is no longer a US citizen.

"Gurmeet Singh, a convicted rapist from India, is no longer a US citizen. He concealed a rape and kidnapping during the naturalisation process, and a federal court has now revoked his citizenship," Blanche said.

"This department took this case across the finish line, and we will continue to move expeditiously on denaturalisation referrals. Fraudulently obtained citizenship will not protect criminals from justice.' he added.

Case Against Singh

A native of India, Singh entered the United States in February 1992 as a visitor for a temporary period not to exceed six months. He then remained in the US without authorisation for years until a family-based immigrant visa petition allowed him to become a permanent resident in June 2000, the Justice Department said.

In May 2011, just weeks before he filed his application to naturalise as a US citizen, Singh, a taxicab driver at the time, drove a female passenger who fell asleep during her ride home.

When the passenger awoke, she found Singh on top of her with a knife against her throat. He threatened her, bound and gagged her, blindfolded her, removed her clothes, and raped her. Afterwards, the victim escaped from the cab and ran to someone in the streets at dawn for help, the US agency said.

Singh reportedly concealed these acts throughout his naturalisation proceedings, leading to his becoming a US citizen in October 2011. After naturalising, Singh was convicted in New York of rape in the first degree and kidnapping in the second degree as a sexually motivated felony and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

'A Message'

On August 26, the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York entered judgment revoking the naturalisation of Singh, the Justice Department said.

Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Justice Department's Civil Division said Singh unlawfully obtained the privileges of US citizenship by concealing horrible criminal acts.

"The court's judgment, which requires the defendant to surrender his wrongfully obtained citizenship, sends a strong message to those who obtain citizenship through deceit, and demonstrates the administration's resolve to pursue denaturalisation proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by the evidence," said US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr for the Eastern District of New York.