US 'surprised' over dismissal of former Indian Deputy Consul General

Washington:  The Obama Administration has expressed surprise over the dismissal of a federal indictment against Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade in the visa fraud case.

"We were surprised by the dismissal of the indictment against former Indian Deputy Consul General Devyani Khobragade," State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said, a day after a New York court dismissed the indictment against Ms Khobragade.

Ms Khobragade, whose arrest and strip search soured Indo-US relations, yesterday won dismissal of the case against her with a US judge ruling she had full diplomatic immunity.

The ruling, however, left open the possibility that US prosecutors could bring a new indictment against Ms Khobragade.