Devyani Khobragade, the Indian diplomat at the heart of a dispute that has strained ties between New Delhi and Washington, is on her way back to India from the United States, officials said. American authorities' arrest and strip-search of Khobragade, the former Indian deputy consul general in New York, set off a storm of anger in India last month. U.S. prosecutors accuse her of lying in a visa application about how much she paid her housekeeper. She was indicted this week by a federal grand jury on one count of visa fraud and one count of making false statements. But the Indian government denied a request by the State Department to waive Khobragade's diplomatic immunity so she can answer the charges, U.S. and Indian officials said.
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Devyani Khobragade reiterated her innocence as she left the U.S., India says
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She is "pleased to be returning to her country," her attorney says
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She has been indicted on federal counts of visa fraud and making false statements
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India's deputy consul general in New York was strip-searched after her arrest
When India refused the @placeholder request to waive the immunity so that she could face the charges against her, she had to leave the country, the officials said.