Passenger held for molesting airhostess

Senior police inspector Dilip Patil of the Sahar police confirmed the incident and said that the accused was produced before the magistrate court. “He has been remanded in police custody for 14 days,” said Patil. “We have charged him under section 354 of IPC for outraging the modesty of a woman,” he added.

According to officials,Ballaidh hails from the Jalna district of Maharashtra and works in Dubai. “On board the flight Haroon allegedly winked at the air hostess a number of times and called her to his seat unnecessarily on several occasions. He also allegedly tried touch her,” said a police official. “The airhostess brought this to the notice of other crew members and after landing she filed a police complaint,” the official added.

The airline has also confirmed the incident. “Emirates confirms that a passenger on its flight EK 500 on June 3 did not behave appropriately with a member of the onboard crew. An official complaint has been lodged with the police. Emirates will assist the authorities in their investigation. Emirates places the highest priority on the safety of its passengers and crew,” the carrier said in a statement.

In the past as well airlines have stood by their employees in matters of passenger misbehaviour. Last year Go Air got an FIR registered against a passenger for allegedly molesting two of their female cabin crew.

Earlier incidents of molestation
In January a 24-year-old,onboard a Jet Airways flight,allegedly molested a woman passenger and assaulted two air hostesses on the London-Mumbai flight 9W711.The woman filed a complaint at Sahar police station.

In January a 42-year-old passenger allegedly fondled a lady passenger next to him on Air India’s New-York Mumbai flight. He then assaulted two air hostesses. A complaint was registered by one of the air hostesses at the Sahar police station.

In February a 27-year-old jewellery designer from Mumbai filed a case against a passenger for misbehaving with her. She was flying Indigo’s Vadodara-Mumbai flight 6E 481.