New Delhi, January 11 (RHC)-- The United States says it is complying with a demand from India for the expulsion of a diplomat from the South Asian country as tension between New Delhi and Washington is on the rise following a diplomatic row between the two countries.

On Friday, the U.S. State Department confirmed that the U.S. Embassy official would leave New Delhi at India's request. The announcement came hours after Devyani Khobragade, India's deputy consul general in New York, left the United States.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Washington deeply regrets New Delhi's move but is seeking to patch up relations.

The row started after the New York police arrested and strip-searched the 39-year-old Indian diplomat on December 12, 2013.

Khobragade was expelled from the U.S. after being indicted by a New York court over visa fraud and under-paying a housekeeper.

Her arrest and mistreatment set off massive anti-U.S. demonstrations across India. It also sparked series of reprisals, including the removal of protective barricades outside the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. The Indian diplomat was later released on a $250,000 bail.