A “drunk” man was arrested after allegedly urinating on an elderly woman in the business class section of a plane.
Indian police say the man, aged 34, was detained in the southern city of Bengaluru following the incident on an Air India flight from New York to New Delhi.
The man, who faces an allegation of outraging the modesty of the woman, was transported to the Indian capital on Saturday, where he was put in custody for 14 days while police investigate.
If convicted the man, who was fired from his job at a high-profile banking firm following the allegations, faces up to three years in prison.
The Times of India newspaper reported the suspect saying that he was drunk at the time of the alleged incident and that he could not believe what he had done.
One passenger on the flight told the newspaper that he saw the man consuming excessive alcohol at the time of the alleged incident and that he was talking incoherently.
Meanwhile, the man’s father, talking to the Hindustan Times, described the allegations as a “totally false case”.
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He also claimed his son “had not slept for 30-35 hours” and fell asleep after having a drink.
The alleged incident is said to have taken place in November last year, though Air India only filed a police complaint this week.
The company said the crew did not summon police upon landing in New Delhi as they believed that the two people involved had sorted out the issue between them.
Meanwhile, Air India said it had issued written notices and grounded one pilot and four cabin crew in relation to the incident.
The company had faced criticism on social media over its decision to prevent the man from flying with them for 30 days – a ban which activists said was not long enough.
The airline’s CEO and managing director, Campbell Wilson, said in a statement: “Air India acknowledges that it could have handled these matters better, both in the air and on the ground and is committed to taking action.”
