US strips citizenship of Indian-origin man 15 years after conviction in rape case

A federal court has revoked Gurmeet Singh's US citizenship after ruling he concealed a 2011 rape and kidnapping while seeking naturalisation. The order clears the way for immigration authorities to consider deportation after he finishes his prison sentence.The Justice Department said Gurmeet Singh had concealed the crime while applying for US citizenship, which he obtained months after the attack.An India-born taxi driver convicted of kidnapping and raping a female passenger at knifepoint in New York has had his US citizenship revoked, nearly 15 years after he committed the crime. According to the New York Post, Gurmeet Singh, now 55, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted in 2014 over the violent 2011 assault. The Justice Department said Singh had concealed the crime while applying for US citizenship, which he obtained months after the attack.A federal court has now revoked his naturalised citizenship, opening the way for immigration authorities to consider his deportation after he completes his prison sentence.PASSENGER WOKE UP TO KNIFE AT HER THROATThe Post reported that Singh was driving the woman to her East Village apartment after picking her up in Williamsburg in May 2011 when she fell asleep during the ride. According to a victim impact statement read by prosecutors at Singh's sentencing, the woman woke up to find the cab driver on top of her with a knife pressed against her throat. He asked her whether she wanted to live.He then threatened the woman, bound and gagged her, blindfolded her and removed her clothes before raping her, prosecutors said. The victim eventually managed to escape from the taxi on foot and flagged down a passerby for help. The assault took place just weeks before Singh submitted his application for naturalisation, according to the Justice Department.The Justice Department said Singh concealed the assault and other criminal conduct during the naturalisation process. He became a US citizen on October 19, 2011, several months after the attack. Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department's Civil Division said Singh had obtained the benefits of citizenship by withholding information about his criminal conduct."Singh unlawfully obtained the privileges of US citizenship by concealing horrible criminal acts," Shumate said.Denaturalisation is the legal process through which a naturalised US citizen can lose citizenship following a federal court ruling. It does not apply to people who acquired US citizenship by being born in the United States. COURT ORDERS SURRENDER OF DOCUMENTSBrooklyn federal judge Nicholas Garaufis issued an order last week requiring Singh to surrender his citizenship documents by September 16. The documents include his naturalisation certificate and US passport.The ruling follows the federal government's case seeking to undo Singh's naturalisation on the grounds that he concealed criminal conduct during the process. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the ruling proved that citizenship obtained through fraud does not protect someone from the consequences of serious crimes."American citizenship is not a shield for criminals. 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."HOW GURMEET SINGH MADE HIS WAY TO THE USAs per the Post, Singh first entered the US in February 1992 as a temporary visitor on a six-month visa. He later remained in the country without authorisation for several years. A visa petition filed by his family eventually allowed him to obtain permanent residency in June 2000.More than a decade later, he became a US citizen despite having committed the assault shortly before applying for naturalisation. Singh is currently serving his sentence at Shawangunk Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in Wallkill, New York. The facility has also housed convicted murderer David Berkowitz, known as the "Son of Sam".He is scheduled to be released in February 2029. Once he completes his prison term, the Department of Homeland Security will determine whether he should be deported.- EndsPublished By: Satyam SinghPublished On: Sep 1, 2026 05:55 IST