Man arrested in Delhi for molesting co-passenger on Air Asia flight

The 20-year-old woman had alleged the man touched her inappropriately while she was asleep. He was arrested soon as the flight landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport.

A shop-owner from Rajasthan has been arrested for allegedly molesting a co-passenger on board an Air Asia flight from Guwahati to New Delhi on Monday.

The chief of safety, Air Asia India, stated that a fellow passenger who was witness to the incident brought it to light in defence of the victim. (HT photo)

The 20-year-old woman had alleged the man touched her inappropriately while she was asleep. He was arrested soon as the flight landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport.

According a police officer, who did not wish to be named, the woman alleged she first noticed the man trying to approach her when she was reading during her flight. “I was busy reading…this man was seated just behind me with his family…he put his hand on my seat,” the woman’s complaint reads.

The woman told police that initially she thought it was by mistake. She alleged that the man repeated his act 4-5 times before she woke up and called the cabin crew to report the matter.

The chief of safety, Air Asia India, said a fellow passenger who was witness to the incident brought it to light in defence of the victim.

“Timely intervention by fellow passengers and our crew alerting the ground security team resulted in detaining the passenger and filing a case with the airport police assisted by officials from AirAsia India,” the officer said.

Deputy commissioner of police (IGI Airport) Sanjay Bhatia said the man was identified as Raj Kumar Jain. He was booked for molestation based on the woman’s statement and was arrested, he said.

The man belongs to Rajasthan and runs a shop in Hanumangarh, police said. He is married and has two children.