A 30-year-old Bangladeshi man named Mohammad Dulal was arrested on 8 September in Mumbai for sexually harassing a female flight attendant on board a Muscat-Dhaka flight that was travelling through the area. Furthermore, he flashed cabin crew members and passengers when they tried to intervene and appeared to masturbate.
A police official informed, “The accused, identified as Mohammed Dulal, who is a Bangladeshi national, was going to Dhaka from Muscat via Mumbai on a Vistara flight. Half an hour before the plane was to land in Mumbai, Dulal got up from his seat, hugged a female flight attendant and tried to kiss her.”
The offence was committed by him around 30 minutes before the Vistara plane’s planned landing in Mumbai at 4:25 a.m. He was turned over to security officers, who took him to the Sahar police station after the plane touched ground at the airport. The perpetrator was scheduled to join a connecting flight to Dhaka. A red warning card was read out by the flight’s captain, who labelled the accused as a hostile passenger, however, he did not pay heed to it.
He was brought before the Andheri Court on 7 September. He was represented by attorney Prabhakar Tripathi who contended that he had a mental illness and did not understand Hindi and English. He was placed under arrest after a first information report (FIR) was filed against him in compliance with the pertinent sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The passenger was apprehended by police on remand until 8 September.
A Sahar police station officer stated, “Dulal was arrested based on the complaint from the 22-year-old flight attendant for hugging her and trying to kiss her onboard. He even flashed at a flight supervisor and other onboard passengers when they intervened. He did not listen to the captain who read out the Red Warning Card and declared him an unruly passenger for not obeying warnings.”
The victim also narrated her ordeal. “I was collecting the food plate trays from passengers when I noticed the accused flyer signalling me. After collecting the food tray from the accused in seat no 19-E, I pushed the trolley to go ahead. The accused jumped from his seat, and over a passenger and stood in front of the trolley. I was left in shock when suddenly he hugged me and tried to kiss me.”
She instantaneously screamed for help and a male attendant attempted to free her. Police revealed, “Dulal who had held the victim’s left hand tightly was subdued with the help of other onboard passengers.” When requested to sit down, he refused and continued to spew insults. He flashed the attendant and “shook his organ” in front of her and other passengers, according to the remand application.
The aeroplane captain was also made aware of the situation. Police proclaimed, “Dulal continued his act despite passengers next to him being shifted and the Red Warning Card being read out. He was overpowered and seated by the male. attendant till the flight landed in Mumbai.”
The Bangladesh consulate has been notified by the police, and on 8 September it is going to set up his bail and other case-related procedures. The offender’s lawyer argued that he comes from a low-income background in Bangladesh and that his ignorance caused him to argue with the complainant.
Vistara released a statement which read, “An incident regarding an unruly passenger was reported on Vistara flight UK 234 operating from Muscat to Mumbai on 6 September 2023. Given the gross misconduct, the captain issued a warning letter and decided to restrain the customer. By the guidelines and our stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs), the security agencies on the ground were informed to take immediate action upon arrival.”
It further added, “The customer has been taken into custody for further investigation by the security agency at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai. The incident is being reported to the local 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.”
This is the 12th instance of disorderly passenger misbehaviour to have been documented in Mumbai in 2023. There have been a total of 23 instances reported between 2017 and 2023 as of 7 September.
