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Gurmeet Singh’s Singh concealed the incident during his naturalisation proceedings and became a US citizen on October 19, 2011.
Singh, a native of India, entered the US in February 1992 as a visitor and was required to leave within six months. (Image via X/@AGToddBlanche)
The United States has revoked the naturalisation of Indian-origin man Gurmeet Singh, who was convicted of raping and kidnapping a female passenger while working as a taxi driver, the US Justice Department said in a press release on Monday.
The US District Court for the Eastern District of New York entered an order on August 26 requiring Singh to surrender his US citizenship. The order followed a complaint filed by the Justice Department on February 2.
Crimes Concealed During Naturalisation
Singh, a native of India, entered the US in February 1992 as a visitor and was required to leave within six months. He remained in the country without authorisation for years before obtaining permanent residency through a family-based immigrant visa petition in June 2000.
In May 2011, weeks before applying for US citizenship, Singh was working as a taxi driver when he picked up a female passenger who fell asleep during the journey home, according to the Justice Department.
The department said Singh drove to a location without witnesses. When the passenger awoke, she found him on top of her with a knife against her throat. He threatened, bound and gagged her, blindfolded her and raped her, the department said.
The woman later escaped from the taxi and sought help from a person on the street.
Singh concealed the incident during his naturalisation proceedings and became a US citizen on October 19, 2011, the department said.
He was later convicted in New York of first-degree rape and second-degree kidnapping as a sexually motivated felony. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
US Officials Defend Denaturalisation
Attorney General Todd Blanche said Singh was no longer a US citizen after the federal court’s ruling.
“American citizenship is not a shield for criminals,” Blanche said. “He concealed a rape and kidnapping during the naturalization process… Fraudulently obtained citizenship will not protect criminals from justice.”
This convicted rapist from India is no longer a U.S. citizen.Gurmeet Singh concealed a rape and kidnapping during the naturalization process, and a federal court has now revoked his citizenship. @TheJusticeDept took this case across the finish line, and we will continue to… pic.twitter.com/EpfLmCtrSF
— Attorney General Todd Blanche (@AGToddBlanche) August 31, 2026
Assistant Attorney General Brett A Shumate said Singh had “unlawfully obtained the privileges of U.S. citizenship by concealing horrible criminal acts”.
“The Department will continue to protect the integrity of the citizenship process and hold accountable those who defraud our immigration system,” Shumate said.
US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr said the court’s judgment sent “a strong message” to those who obtain citizenship through deceit and showed the administration’s resolve to pursue denaturalisation cases where permitted by law and supported by evidence.
Quick Answers
Ask News18The US District Court for the Eastern District of New York ordered Gurmeet Singh to surrender his US citizenship on August 26. The court’s judgment aims to send a strong message to those who obtain citizenship through deceit.
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