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Drunk groom-to-be `lands` in lock-up - The Pioneer
New Delhi, Oct 27:Having one too many while flying could be troublesome, and worse if one is a tipsy groom-to-be with a mobile phone camera.
"Dadral and his friend Marc Stacey Thyssen, 28, an Australian citizen, were in police custody for seven hours," said Devesh Srivastava, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).
So what exactly got them into trouble?
Dadral, who holds a British passport, and Thyssen, a Disk Jockey, boarded the British Airways flight number BAI43 in London for Delhi.
An NRI found this out the hard way as he arrived in the Capital on Diwali night, only to be greeted by a police party instead of the baratis.
Manoj Kumar Dadral, 25, who works at the Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom, had to cool his heels in a lock-up before wearing the spurs to ride the caparisoned mare.
"Dadral and his friend Marc Stacey Thyssen, 28, an Australian citizen, were in police custody for seven hours," said Devesh Srivastava, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).
So what exactly got them into trouble?
Dadral, who holds a British passport, and Thyssen, a Disk Jockey, boarded the British Airways flight number BAI43 in London for Delhi.
Dadral was on his way to tie the knot in Jalandhar on October 31 and Thyssen was visiting India at the request of his friend, Peter, who lives in Gurgaon.
The police said the duo who had a couple of drinks on the flight indulged in a few antics which landed them in jail and invited the wrath of Dadral's relatives who had come to receive him from Jalandhar.
"After they came under the influence of alcohol, Dadral took out his mobile camera and began taking pictures of two girls, who happen to be sisters. Their father, Harjinder objected to this, but in vain. His protests didn't deter Manoj at all and he kept on taking photographs of the girls," Mr Srivastava added.
When the father of the two minor girls, aged 14 and 16, continued to protest, the duo, instead of paying heed abused him.
"At this point Mr Harjinder complained to an air-hostess, regarding Dadral's and Thyssey's improper behaviour. She informed the pilot, who alerted the Air Traffic Control (ATC) personnel at the IGIA," Mr Srivastava said.
The airport authorities informed the police minutes before the plane landed at 11.50 pm on Saturday.
"Since the duo refused to behave themselves, the crew members overpowered them and forced them to sit till the plane landed," he added.
In police custody, the duo changed their tune and claimed that they were being unnecessarily harassed by the cabin crew. The police refused to believe their story as they were reeking of alcohol.
A case was registered against them under Section 509/34 of the Indian Penal Code. Since the offence was bailable, the police let them off only after they furnished the bail bond.
It was only around 7 am on Sunday when a subdued Dadral was handed over to his incensed relatives, who had been waiting for him for over seven hours.