'Not allowed to use restroom, make phone call': Indian woman alleges she was stripped off warm wear, frisked by male officer in US airport

Shruti Chaturvedi, an Indian entrepreneur based in the US, has shared a disturbing experience on social media where she claimed she was detained for over eight hours at the Anchorage airport in Alaska by US authorities. Shruti is the founder of the India Action Project and a digital platform called Chaaipani. In her posts, she said she was questioned harshly, physically checked by a male officer, and not even allowed to make a phone call during the entire time.

According to Shruti, it all started when airport security found a power bank in her handbag and considered it “suspicious.” She mentioned that the power bank was in her carry-on luggage, which follows US rules, as lithium-ion battery devices must not be kept in checked-in baggage.

Imagine being detained by Police and FBI for 8 hours, being questioned the most ridiculous things, physically checked by a male officer on camera, stripped off warm wear, mobile phone, wallet, kept in chilled room, not allowed to use a restroom, or make a single phone call, made…

— Shruti Chaturvedi (@adhicutting) April 8, 2025

However, what followed shocked her. She wrote that she was taken into custody by the police and FBI, not told the reason for her detention, and was made to sit in a cold room without access to her phone, wallet, or warm clothes. Shruti added that she was physically frisked by a male officer, recorded on camera, and wasn’t even allowed to use the restroom.

In her post, she tagged India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and the Ministry of External Affairs, saying: “I don’t have to imagine, already past the worst 7 hours. And we all know why.” She also said she missed her flight due to this incident and even after being cleared, the authorities did not return her actual luggage but gave her a flimsy duffle bag instead.

Shruti believes this treatment was racially motivated, as she was treated with high suspicion only because of her Indian identity. “Out of India, Indians are pretty powerless,” she said.

This comes at a time when several Indian travellers have reported facing mistreatment abroad, especially in the US. Some have even spoken about being shackled during deportation. Shruti shared her story only after leaving the US, fearing further trouble.

So far, there has been no official response from either the Indian government or the US Embassy.