Hyderabad – A man was arrested for allegedly molesting a 38-year-old woman on an Air India Express flight from Chennai to Hyderabad on Friday, October 17, 2025. According to police reports, the accused in mid mid 40’s, native of Uttar Pradesh employed in Chennai, was intoxicated during the journey.
The victim, a 38-year-old IT professional, was traveling with her husband. The accused was seated next to them on the flight. As the plane was preparing to land at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, the woman awoke to find the man touching her inappropriately. She raised an alarm immediately, after which crew members intervened and alerted authorities upon landing.
Upon landing at around 9:30 a.m., she filed a police complaint. The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) police registered a case under Section 74 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to assault or use of criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty.
Section 74 deals with assault or use of criminal force to a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty. It criminalizes acts like physical touching or force with the intention to outrage a woman’s modesty, punishable with imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine.
The police subsequently arrested the man, who claimed that the incident was accidental. However, an investigation into the matter is ongoing to verify his assertions and gather further evidence.
The accused, who was subsequently arrested, claimed he accidentally touched her, police said.