Stopped from smoking on flight, man allegedly unzips pants before cabin crew

According to the police, the man, Abdul Shahid Shamsudeen, a resident of Kottayam in Kerala, was on board the Saudi Airlines aircraft when he allegedly attempted to smoke.

A 24-year-old man from Kerala who was travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to New Delhi by Saudi Airlines, was arrested after he unzipped in front of a woman cabin crew who tried to stop him from lighting a cigarette on board the aircraft on Tuesday. According to the police, the man, Abdul Shahid Shamsudeen, a resident of Kottayam in Kerala, was on board the Saudi Airlines aircraft when he allegedly attempted to smoke.

FILE PHOTO: A Saudia, also known as Saudi Arabian Airlines, plane lands at Rafik al-Hariri airport in Beirut, Lebanon June 29, 2017. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi/File Photo (REUTERS FILE/ Representative Image)

“As told by others present in the plane, when a woman cabin crew asked the man to put the cigarette back, he refused and abused her verbally. When the woman called other cabin crew members for assistance, the man created a ruckus and allegedly unzipped his pants and made obscene gestures at her,” said an officer, who is not authorised to speak to the media, said.

The flight crew reported the incident to the airport operations control centre and the Central Industrial Security Force personnel were alerted. “As soon as the flight landed, the man was detained and escorted to the IGI Airport police station by the CISF men. He was handed over to the Delhi Police for further legal action,” the officer said.

Deputy commissioner of police (IGI Airport) Sanjay Bhatia said they arrested the man and booked him for under IPC section 354 (molestation) and 509 (using word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman under section 509. Police said that the man works as an electrician and had visited Saudi Arabia on work visa a few months ago.