Disturbing News on NRIs Overseas

Convicted Indians abroad

Three distinct news reports had three individual NRIs in the middle of the stories. Just a word of warning for those who are living overseas and would run afoul of the law.

In New York, a 56 year old Indian man was sentenced to six (6) months in federal prison for threatening to detonate a bomb at a company based in Connecticut. Shaneel Jain of Rhode Island was sentenced for that penalty by US District Judge Robert Chatigny. Also included in the sentence is one (1) year of supervised release and three (3) months of home confinement. The penalty was imposed for threatening to bomb the facilities of Z-Medica Corporation. He was found guilty of one count of making a bomb threat and one count of false information and hoaxes.

Jain was proven to have made a number of telephone calls from India to Z-Medica back in April 2010. During the same period, he was embroiled in a civil lawsuit with Z-Medica on a business dispute. The main product of Z-Medica is QuickClot, a medical agent that helps stop bleeding outside a surgical setting which is helpful in field medical kits for armed forces throughout the world.

During the said phone calls, Jain threatened to detonate a bomb Z-Medica in the next twenty four (24) hours.  He also said he was a ‘terrorist’ and ‘he had done this before.’ He further boasted that American law ‘couldn’t touch him.’

The threat resulted in bomb searches in Z-Medica facilities conducted by the FBI and Connecticut State Police. It also resulted in cancellation of shifts and delays QuickClot deliveries. The company had to entail extra private security even in the end no bomb was ever found in the facilities or surrounding area.

Another Indian man was also in trouble with the US law as he was found guilty of groping a woman as they were seated side by side on an airplane. The man was identified as Srinivasa S. Erramilli, a software consultant on a work visa to the United States. He was found guilty by a Chicago court and is awaiting sentencing on April 26, 2013. The man stands to face two (2) years in prison and payment of a US$250,000 fine.

Based on court records, Erramilli was already convicted of the same offense in previous occasions. In 2000, he pleaded guilty to battery in Cook County and was sentenced to two years probation and community service. He was also sentenced to three years probation for the same offense when he was on a flight from San Jose Ca to Detroit, Mi.  He boarded a Southwest Airlines flight to Midway Airport in Chicago last June 14,2011. As the only seat available was between the victim, who was at the window, and her husband who chose the aisle seat, he was able to get close to the victim.

The victim, who was coming home from their 34^th wedding anniversary, testified in court that Erramilli had groped her three times during the flight. She hit Erramilli and yelled at him after finding his hand on her person groping her. This incident was testified to by flight attendants and other passengers, who were presented as witnesses during the trial.

Tagged as: bomb, conviction, groping, hoaxes, NRI, terrorist, United States