A court in India's capital has dropped a weapons charge against a New York City police officer and is allowing him to leave the country, his lawyer said Saturday, according to the Associated Press.
Officer Manny Encarnacion was arrested in March while visiting his wife in New Delhi after Indian airport authorities discovered three bullets he had accidentally packed in his luggage, the AP reported.
Encarnacion had been out on bail since his arrest, but was barred from leaving India until the case was resolved, according to the AP. Encarnacion, 49, joined the NYPD in 2004 and is assigned to a precinct in Harlem.
Before leaving for India, Encarnacion went to a police firing range and put the bullets in a coat pocket, according to New York City police, the AP reported. He packed the coat for the trip, forgetting that the ammunition was there, the police said.
His lawyer, Samarjit Pattnaik, said the court heard the case Friday and "all charges against the officer were quashed," he said, according to the AP. Pattnaik said he would approach the court early next week to get Encarnacion's passport released, and that the officer should be set to leave the country by the end of next week.
Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Patrick J. Lynch said, "We are pleased that police officer Encarnacion's unfortunate ordeal has been resolved and that he'll soon be returning home," the AP reported.
Encarnacion's arrest took place months after a diplomatic spat between the United States and India over the arrest and strip search of an Indian consular official for alleged visa fraud in New York, but Indian authorities say Encarnacion's arrest had nothing to do with the spat, according to the AP.
