Man caught masturbating mid-air on Hyderabad-Delhi flight, arrested

A man aboard a Hyderabad-Delhi IndiGo flight on Saturday was caught masturbating. The act came to light after his woman co-passenger complained to the crew. Once the flight landed, the man was handed over to the police.

The incident took place at 10am. The complainant, a resident of Hyderabad, raised an alarm that the man sitting next to her was masturbating.

"In her complaint, the woman said she saw the man unzipping his trousers. Then he started masturbating. When the woman brought the matter to a crew member's knowledge, she was allotted another seat. Upon landing, the crew members called up the security, who then handed over the man to the Delhi Police," a senior police officer said.

Airline sources said the man was asked to go to the lavatory and clean himself, after which a strict watch was kept on him for the next two hours. Senior police officers said he has been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 354A (sexual harassment) and 509 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman). "He has been arrested and is being questioned," the officer added. This, however, is not the first time that such an incident has been reported. In October, 2012, a Michigan woman had alleged that a passenger, who was previously seen masturbating on a flight in the UK, groped her. Similarly in 2009, an air hostess on a Delhi-Vadodara flight caught a passenger masturbating.