Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that Pascal Mezurier, an official in the French Consulate General here, did not enjoy any immunity as he holds only a service passport and not a diplomatic one, but the Bengaluru police maintained that they had not received any word from the Union ministry.
T. Suneel Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), said they were waiting for confirmation from the MEA. “We have given an official application to the government and waiting for the reply. Through media reports in New Delhi we have learnt that the Consulate-General of France has said that Mezurier does not hold any diplomatic immunity. But we are yet to receive it. We are waiting for a written confirmation to go ahead and arrest him formally. If we act on media reports, it will turn complicated as diplomatic issues between the two countries are involved. We do not want to rush into any action. Mezurier holds two passports of which one is official and the other personal. The question over his diplomatic immunity has to be answered by the French government through the MEA," he said.
Mr Suneel Kumar said that there is no chance of Mezurier fleeing the country. “All precautionary measures have been taken to make sure that he stays in the city. Once we get the confirmation from the MEA, he would be arrested immediately and subjected to further medical tests. He will also be made to give swabs for DNA tests which is mandatory in an incest case. If any diplomatic official is on a personal visit, he/she will use a blue passport. Diplomatic passports are identified usually by their red colour.
Even with diplomatic passport, the entitlement is confirmed by respective countries, a senior police official said. “Mezurier holds two passports. But we are not sure whether he caries the diplomatic immunity status," the officer said.