Indian charged with sexual abuse of American national in Afghanistan

Washington: A 35-year-old Indian national has been brought to the United States to be tried on charges of sexually assaulting an American woman while working as a US military contractor in Afghanistan.

Lokesh Naik was charged by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia on November 6 with two counts of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact, Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said.

US military authorities in Afghanistan arrested Naik on November 8 and his initial appearance was held before US Magistrate Judge Harvey via video teleconference.

The judge ordered to detain him and bring him to the United States, as per provisions of the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA), to face the trial.

Naik arrived at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurston near New Jersey by a military transport aircraft in the custody of Deputy US Marshals.

According to the indictment, while working as an employee of a US military contractor on Operating Base Fenty in Afghanistan in August, Naik allegedly entered the room of a 24-year-old US national and sexually assaulted her by force.