On Monday (January 30) morning, an Italian passenger was arrested for creating a ruckus onboard a Vistara Airline flight from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Mumbai.
As per a report by The Times of India, the 45-year-old woman assaulted, spat on cabin crew members and went partially naked after being asked to return to her economy-class seat.
The accused, identified as one Paola Perruccio, sat in business class despite holding an economy-class ticket. When she was asked to return to her original seat, a drunken Paola punched a cabin crew member named LS Khan (24) and spat on another onboard the flight.
Sahar Police arrested a woman, Paola Perruccio from Italy after she created a ruckus on an Abu Dhabi-Mumbai flight. She allegedly insisted on sitting in business class despite an economy ticket, assaulted crew, took off some clothes&walked up&down aisle in a partially naked state
— ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2023
She also hurled the choicest of expletives, partially removed her clothes and created inconvenience for other passengers. Following consultation with the flight captain, the cabin crew overpowered the Italian passenger and tied her to a seat on the rear end of the plane.
A complaint was registered against her with the Sahar police by the Vistara airline staff. After the flight landed at the Mumbai airport at 5 am on Monday (January 30), the cops arrested her, confiscated her passport and also filed a chargesheet in the case.
Paola Perruccio was produced before a court in Andheri, which granted her bail on a surety bond of ₹25000. LS Khan, the assaulted cabin crew member said, “She was in seat 11C in the economy class when she suddenly ran to the business class and sat on seat No. 1. She punched my face when I requested her not to sit in business class.”
Mumbai Police filed a chargesheet in a case of misbehaving by an airline passenger, an Italian woman Paola Perruccio, midair on a Vistara Abu Dhabi to Mumbai flight. She was arrested by Sahar Police after the landing of the plane yesterday. She was later given bail by the court.
— ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2023
“When another cabin crew member ran to help me and told the flyer she could not misbehave on board, she spat on her. Paola removed her clothes on board and kept walking in the open space on board. The cabin crew tried to calm her and said her act was disturbing other flyers. But she continued hurling abuses,” he added.
DCP (zone VIII) Dikshit Gedam told TOI, “The flyer has been booked for an act endangering life or personal safety and other bailable offences under the Indian Penal Code and The Aircraft Rules, 1937.”
A cop at the Sahar police station also informed, “The preliminary report of Perruccio’s medical examination showed she was inebriated during the journey, though the exact cause of the incident is yet to be known.”
The incident has been reported to the relevant authorities as per the SOPs. Vistara stands firm with its zero-tolerance policy against unruly behaviour that endangers the safety, security, and dignity of its customers and staff: Vistara spokesperson
— ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2023
In her defence, Paola’s lawyer Prabhakar Tripathi claimed, “Details have been submitted before the court that Perruccio wanted to complain against Vistara because of the bad services provided to her.”
He further alleged, “She was going to the washroom but was not allowed. The situation arose because of an on-flight ruckus between her and the crew members which ended in a case being filed against her. The court has also been told that police have seized her passport illegally.”
While speaking about the ordeal, a Vistara spokesperson said, “In view of continued unruly conduct and violent behaviour, the captain issued a warning card and made a decision to restrain the customer. The pilot made regular announcements to assure the other customers on board of their safety.”
“In accordance with the guidelines and our stringent SOPs, the security agencies on-ground were informed to take immediate action upon arrival. The incident has been reported to relevant authorities as per SOPs,” the official added.
Mumbai Police filed a chargesheet in a case of misbehaving by an airline passenger, an Italian woman Paola Perruccio, midair on a Vistara Abu Dhabi to Mumbai flight. She was arrested by Sahar Police after the landing of the plane yesterday. She was later given bail by the court.
— ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2023
Recently, a Dammam-bound passenger, Jauhar Ali Khan, was found publicly urinating in front of departure gate no 6 at IGI’s T3 airport in New Delhi on January 8. Delhi Police has said that he was arrested and then later released on a bail bond.
In November last year, a 34-year-old Shankar Mishra allegedly urinated on a 70-year-old woman onboard an Air India flight while under the influence of alcohol.
