"I was abducted by the CBI"

The Danish national was on his way to Nepal from Copenhagen. As per the Scandinavian Airlines flight schedule, there was a two-hour break in the journey at Delhi. “I had no intention of entering India nor did I have the visa to enter India,” he submitted in the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Sangita Dhingra Sehgal on February 17.

Talking to The Indian Express at the Patiala House courts today, middle-aged Larsen said, “Iwas on my way to Nepal. But while I was waiting in the transit hall for the onward journey, three men, who I learnt were from the CBI, dragged me to the immigration area and took me into custody,” he said. Arguing the extradition case, Larsen’s lawyer V K Ohri questioned the legality of the detention itself. The Ministry of External Affairs has no doubts about the legitimacy of the arrest. MEA Under Secretary V Mahalingam, clarified that the transit lounge is very much within the Indian territory. “The USA made an oral request to the Indian authorities to arrest him for extradition and gave his flight schedule. Larsen had been arrested in the USA on drug charges in 1991 but jumped bail next year and ever since has been wanted there," he said.