Spokesperson of the Consulate General of India in New York said the NYPD cop was detained after his baggage was found to contain a few rounds of live ammunition during screening at New Delhi airport before he was to take a domestic flight.
"In India, this is a violation of the Arms Act. Indeed, he was released on bail immediately and is currently in India awaiting a court date to resolve the case," said the spokesperson.
Manny Encarnacion, 49, was arrested in New Delhi on March 11 after he arrived on a Lufthansa Airlines flight from New York. "Three 9mm bullets were found in his baggage. He was booked under Arms Act," said police. He was produced in court the same day and was granted bail, police said.
US embassy officials had visited Encarnacion to assist him. He has been barred from leaving the country and is due to appear in court on April 17.
Encarnacion accidentally left the bullets in his bag when he was visiting India to meet his newly-wed wife Vida, an Iranian student, a report in the New York Post said.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Friday said he is "troubled" by the detention of the police officer and hoped he would be treated fairly by Indian authorities.
The New York Post has termed the arrest as India's "revenge for Nannygate".
It said a security officer at the airport snarled, "You guys like to strip-search our diplomats," as Encarnacion was arrested on felony charges under India's Arms Act - punishable by anywhere from three to seven years.
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