Bhubaneswar, July 27: Odisha forest officer Surendra Prasad Mohapatra was produced in a court in Pennsylvania following his arrest yesterday on the basis of a complaint by a female employee of the hotel where he was staying in the American city.

Mohapatra, 52, who is in the US on a training programme, was charged with indecent behaviour and wrongful confinement.

He would appear in court again on August 1 for the preliminary hearing of the case, said an Odisha government official here today.

The official said, according to the information received from the Indian Embassy in the US, the bail petition of Mohapatra had been accepted against a surety amount of US$35,000. The forest officer would be released from the Pike County correctional facility in Pennsylvania, where he is presently being detained, once the bond formalities are complete.

“If the charges against Mohapatra are proven, he would be punished according to US criminal laws. However, he might be set free if a compromise is reached. But, he would need to stay put in the US until the case is over,” said an officer of the Odisha government.

Odisha government authorities said they were keeping a close eye on the developments and that senior members from the Indian Consulate in New York met Mohapatra in Pennsylvania after his arrest. They are also trying to facilitate his release from the correctional facility. Odisha principal chief conservator of forest P.N. Padhi said: “We have sought detailed information from the government of India regarding the case and the charges brought against him.”