BENGALURU: A 51-year-old Maldives resident molested an air hostess who came to serve him and behaved obscenely with two other women cabin crew members on an IndiGo flight from Male to Bengaluru on Friday evening (August 18). After landing at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), he was arrested and sent to jail, the police said.
Akram Ahmed, who is from Male in Maldives, has been booked under Sections 354 (assault or use of criminal force on any woman intending to outrage her modesty) and 409 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of IPC.
The incident occurred on board flight No. 6E 1128 after the flight departed at 3.48 pm from the Velana International Airport in Male. Ahmed, seated in 38D, asked for a glass of beer and cashew nuts, states the FIR copy. A flight attendant brought them over to him.
The complaint states that when taking them from her, the flyer is reported to have remarked, “I have been looking for a girl like you for the last 51 years. How much do you charge for service and when will you be free?”
Ahmed also allegedly handed over a $100 bill to her and told her to pay $10 for what he had ordered and to keep the rest. He also allegedly touched her inappropriately.
IndiGo confirms incident, terms passenger unruly
Later, when another flight attendant went to ask him to pay up for what he had ordered, Ahmed put his hands inside his pockets as if to take out cash and made an obscene gesture, the FIR states. The flight reached Terminal 1 of KIA at 6.15 pm.
Ahmed got up hurriedly to alight when yet another woman flight attendant asked him to remain seated for some time. He, however, misbehaved with her too. Before landing, the cabin crew had alerted the Central Industrial Security Force personnel about the incident.
They were waiting for his arrival and took him into custody as soon as he stepped out of the flight, the police said. Ahmed was taken to the police station and an FIR was filed against him on Friday night. The complaint was filed by an official of IndiGo.
IndiGo confirmed that an incident occurred on board its flight. A statement from the carrier read: “An IndiGo crew member on flight 6E1128 from Maldives to Bengaluru on August 18, 2023, was the victim of inappropriate behaviour by a passenger.
As per protocol, the passenger was declared unruly, and handed over to the airport security on arrival. An FIR has been filed against the passenger with local police and the matter was referred to the authorities for further action.”