Man Arrested For Sexually Harassing, Flashing Air Hostess On Muscat-Dhaka Flight

The accused has been identified as a Bangladeshi national and the incident occurred in early hours of Thursday on a Vistara flight going from Muscat to Dhaka via Mumbai.

A 30-year-old Bangladeshi national was arrested here for allegedly sexually harassing a female flight attendant on board a Muscat-Dhaka flight travelling via Mumbai, a police official said on Friday. The incident took place in the early hours of Thursday some time before the Vistara flight was scheduled to land at the Mumbai international airport, he said.

"The accused, identified as Mohammed Dulal, who is a Bangladeshi national, was going to Dhaka from Muscat via Mumbai on a Vistara flight. Half an hour before the plane was to land in Mumbai, Dulal got up from his seat, hugged a female flight attendant and tried to kiss her," the official said. He also tried to flash at other cabin crew members and passengers when they tried to intervene, he said. 

The accused flyer also did not listen to the flight captain when the latter was reading out a red warning card, declaring him an unruly passenger, he said. After landing at the Mumbai airport, the accused was handed over to security officers, who took him to the Sahar police station, the official added. 

Based on a complaint lodged by the flight attendant, a first information report (FIR) under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against the accused and he was placed under arrest, he said. He was produced in a local court, which remanded him in police custody till Friday, he said.

In a statement, a Vistara spokesperson said, "An incident regarding an unruly passenger was reported on Vistara flight UK 234 operating from Muscat to Mumbai on 6 September. In view of the gross misconduct, the captain issued a warning letter and made the decision to restrain the customer." 

"In accordance with the guidelines and our stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs), the security agencies on-ground were informed to take immediate action upon arrival," the airline official said.  

The customer has been taken into custody for further investigation by the security agency at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai. The incident has been reported to the local authorities as per the SOPs, the statement added. 

"Vistara stands firm with its zero-tolerance policy against unruly behaviour that endangers the safety, security, and dignity of its customers and staff," the spokesperson said.