New Delhi:  Even as the attorneys of Indian Deputy Consel General Devyani Khobragade  who was arrested on visa fraud charges and underpayment to domestic help, argue that she has diplomatic immunity, US State Department sources have clarified that she does not enjoy immunity from US laws. A US spokesperson even said that the  Vienna convention allows for immunity only with respect to acts performed in the exercise of consular functions.

Earlier in the day, India summoned US Ambassador Nancy Powell and expressed shock over the arrest of Devyani.

Thirty nine year old Devyani, a 1999-batch IFS officer, was taken into custody December 12, Thursday as she was dropping her daughter to school and handcuffed in public on visa fraud charges. She was later released on a USD 250,000 bond.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said that India would take up the matter forcefully with the US government and has voiced the sentiment already through the Indian embassy in Washington.

On the  other hand, a US State Department spokesperson said “We are handling this incident through law enforcement channels. We have a long-standing partnership with India, and we expect that that partnership will continue.”

According to New York attorney Preet Bharara’s office, Khobragade had hired a babysitter cum housekeeper from Mumbai, offering her only Rs 30,000 per month or about $3.31 per hour, but filed a contract that she’d be paid the legally mandated minimum of $9.75. She faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.