Arrested Indian diplomat transferred to new position at United Nations

An Indian diplomat charged with visa fraud has been transferred to a position at the United Nations to provide her with more diplomatic immunity, officials say. Asoke Mukherji, the Indian ambassador to the United Nations, said the new job for Devyani Khobragade would give her protection from arrest, the New York Times reported Saturday. Khobragade, 39, was deputy consul general for New York when she was arrested Dec. 12 on charges of visa fraud and of making false statements about how much she paid her Indian housekeeper. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is free on $250,000 bond. Her arrest created an international incident after reports said she was arrested and handcuffed as she left her daughter at school and that she was strip searched in the jail. It is unclear if the U.S. State Department will approve her transfer to the U.N. position.