Who is Gurmeet Singh? Indian-origin man convicted of rape stripped of US citizenship

Gurmeet Singh, a 55-year-old Indian-born taxi driver, has had his US citizenship revoked after being convicted of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman in 2011. The Justice Department announced the denaturalization on Monday, stating that Singh concealed his violent actions during the naturalization process. The victim, who was asleep during the ride from Williamsburg to her East Village apartment in May 2011, awoke to find Singh with a knife to her throat, threatening her desire to live.

Singh restrained her, sexually assaulted her, and then fled the taxi, seeking help from a passerby. Singh, who arrived in the US on a temporary visa in 1992 and obtained permanent residency in 2000, was found guilty in 2014 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The Attorney General, Brett A. Shumate, emphasized that Singh unlawfully obtained citizenship by hiding his criminal acts.

Singh is currently detained at Shawangunk Correctional Facility and must submit his citizenship documents by September 16.