Detained Indian students knew of their crimes: US

THE US IS DISPUTING INDIA’S CONTENTION THE STUDENTS ‘MAY HAVE BEEN DUPED’ AND WERE UNWITTING VICTIMS OF ‘ENTRAPMENT’

WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI: The US has doubled down on the arrest and prosecution of Indians enrolled at a fake university run by undercover agents and said all 129 detainees “were aware they were committing a crime”, disputing India’s contention that they “may have been duped” and were unwitting victims of “entrapment”.

Some Indians have left for home but many remained in US custody, faced with deportation on account of enrolment at the University of Farmington in Michigan, the fake institution set up to expose pay-to-stay immigration fraud. Eight Indian-origin people have been criminally charged as recruiters working on commissions.

India responded strongly to the arrest of the students and suggested in a demarche — an official diplomatic note — to the US embassy in New Delhi that they “may have been duped into enrolling in the University” and demanded they be treated differently from the alleged recruiters.

The external affairs ministry said on Tuesday that the Indian embassy and consulates had obtained consular access to 117 of the 129 Indians who were “administratively arrested” on January 31 after officials visited 36 detention sites across the US. Consular access to the remaining dozen was expected by Tuesday, officials said.

“Government of India continues to attach high priority to the well-being of the detained students and will remain constantly engaged with the US authorities and other stakeholders to address the issue,” the ministry said in a statement.