IAF man recalled from Israel after child molestation attempt

A senior non-commissioned officer (SNCO) of the IAF posted in the Indian Embassy in Israel has been called back and his plea for extension of service rejected after he was found guilty of a child molestation attempt there, air force sources said on Monday.

"An SNCO of the rank of junior warrant officer (JWO) was called back late last year after an Israeli couple complained that he was displaying too much affection for their child and was attempting to molest him," the sources said here.

The incident, they said, happened in November in Tel Aviv when the IAF officer was "caught" by parents of a six-year-old child, who started crying on being lifted by the SNCO inside the elevator of a building, where he had gone for a visit.

After the charges were levelled, the officer, in his early forties, was arrested and detained by police there, they said. Later on, he was handed over to Indian authorities, they said, noting that the Israeli authorities wanted him to be moved out of the country.

"After his arrest there, the SNCO maintained that he was casually displaying affection towards the child as it was normal in India to do so," the sources said.

But "during our inquiry, the SNCO accepted that he was in fact attempting to molest the child," they said.