Passenger Arrested for Allegedly Molesting Seatmate

A male passenger was arrested after the woman seated next to him accused him of a mid-air assault.

Police took a 50-year-old passenger into custody at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) in Kolkata, India after a female passenger accused him of inappropriately touching her as the flight was about to land. The crew of the IndiGo flight from Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) was reportedly alerted to the lewd behavior when the female passenger began shouting at the man in the seat beside her. The pilot ordered the two passengers separated and the male passenger was handed over to authorities when the plane landed at CCU.

Media outlets have identified the man suspected of assaulting a fellow passenger as Sanjay Kanad of Delhi. Kanad’s accuser is reported to be a 30-year-old woman also from Delhi.

Speaking to reporters, an IndiGo spokesperson described a case of “unruly behavior” on the flight. “While the aircraft was descending, a woman passenger who was seated on 9F had raised a concern against the co-passenger of being touched objectionably,” the airline confirmed to the Daily Mail. “The crew on-board escalated the concern to the security staff and the CISF (Central Industrial Security Force). At IndiGo, any untoward act which compromises the dignity of passengers or crew is a serious concern.”

IndiGo officials say that airline personnel accompanied both parties to an airport police station where a formal complaint was lodged against the accused perpetrator. An IndiGo spokesman said the matter was being investigated, adding, “We deeply regret the inconvenience caused to the woman passenger onboard.”

[Photo: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Creative Commons/Prasun Dutta]