Diplomat rape case: India walks the tightrope with Saudis

The Saudi embassy in New Delhi appears to have adopted an approach of stonewalling the government's efforts to get it to cooperate in the case involving one of its diplomats charged with the rape of two Nepalese women.

The Saudi silence has intrigued officials who have been seeking a way out of the impasse following a raid by Gurgaon police at the residence of the diplomat more than a week ago after receiving a complaint that the two Nepalese women were kept there in confinement and raped by the diplomat and his "guests" repeatedly.

The external affairs ministry, which had called in Saudi Arabian Ambassador Saud Mohammed Alsati last week and told him that the accused diplomat should cooperate in the probe into the case, was yet to get any response despite being in touch with the mission officials in New Delhi.

There are reports that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has decided to handle the issue amicably as it has a potential to impact the Indo-Saudi relations negatively.

However, there was no official confirmation to this effect.

Meanwhile, Gurgaon Police has made it clear that they will follow MEA directives before approaching the two Nepalese women again for identifying the suspects in the CCTV grab of the apartment where they were confined.

The options before Saudi Arabia are to either withdraw the diplomat or waive his diplomatic immunity to enable prosecution proceedings -- the latter being very unlikely.

India can declare him persona non grata and expel him if he does not cooperate with the investigation.

The Saudi Embassy has termed the allegations as "false" and said it has protested police "intrusion" into a diplomat's house against "all diplomatic conventions".

It is learnt that the diplomat along with his family has shifted to the Saudi embassy. The two Nepalese women have already gone back to their country.