A 32-year-old man, travelling from Pune to Nagpur, allegedly masturbated and made a lewd gesture at a 40-year-old woman seated next to him on a flight of a private airline.
The accused, identified as Feroze Shaikh, tried to sneak away while the flyers were getting off the plane on 9th October. However, he was chased by the woman he had allegedly targeted and was arrested.
An officer of Sonegaon police station said that the complainant is a 40-year-old teacher, who stays in Chandrapur, and was on her way to Nagpur to perform the last rites of her father.
According to a report in Times of India, the woman’s screams alerted the crew and ground staff, who got CISF guards to stop the suspect and hand him over to police.
The report stated that the woman admitted that she dozed off soon after takeoff and was unaware of what the alleged offender in the window seat next to hers was up to until she opened her eyes on hearing the announcement.
She initially thought her co-passenger was scratching himself and ignored him, the complainant told police, adding that she grew suspicious when he continued with the act and allegedly nudged and gestured to her in a brazen manner.
The woman claimed that she woman wanted to call the cabin crew but the plane had touched down by then. Shaikh, a resident of Kondhwa area of Pune, and an engineer by profession, allegedly rushed towards the rear exit and tried to flee the moment the doors were disarmed.
The Sonegaon police station officer said that a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) jawan who was on board intervened and restrained Shaikh before reporting the incident to police.
The TOI report stated that Shaikh was travelling to an industrial water plant at Koradi, near Nagpur, for work when the incident took place.
Shaikh, who is engaged to be married next month, was subsequently booked under Indian Penal Code sections 354 (assaulting or using criminal force to any woman, intending to outrage her modesty), 354 (a) (sexual harassment) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and further probe was on, the police officer said. He was remanded in jail custody on Tuesday.