Grabbed, pushed into toilet: Cabin crew member molested by Indian mid-flight

A 20-year-old Indian national was on Tuesday charged with allegedly molesting a female cabin crew member aboard a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight. Rajat, who goes by his first name, grabbed the female staffer and pushed her into the lavatory of the plane. He is likely to plead guilty.

The incident occurred on February 28 at 11.20 am during a flight, whose details weren’t shared.

The crew member was escorting a female passenger to the lavatory when she noticed a piece of tissue paper on the floor. As she bent down to pick it up, Rajat allegedly appeared behind her, grabbed her, and pushed her into the lavatory with him, The Straits Times, a Singapore-based daily, reported.

A female passenger, who saw the incident, sprang to action, rescued the crew member and brought her outside the lavatory.

The cabin crew member then approached the cabin supervisor and shared what had happened. Subsequently, the man was arrested at Changi Airport after the plane landed.

The court documents do not mention where the plane had headed from.

Rajat is expected to plead guilty on May 14.

He will be charged with using criminal force with intent to outrage modesty, The Straits Times reported, citing a police statement issued on Monday.

In Singapore, the offence carries a jail term of up to three years, a fine, caning, or any combination of these penalties.

“We take such incidents seriously as cabin crew are trained professionals dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of all passengers,” the report quoted the commander of the Airport Police Division, Assistant Commissioner M Malathi, as saying.

“The police remain committed to protecting airline staff and passengers on board from any form of sexual harassment or assault,” Malathi told The Straits Times.

On April 2, a retired Indian banker, Balasubramanian Ramesh, 73, was handed a nine-month jail term after he pleaded guilty to four molestation charges, each involving one Singapore Airlines cabin crew member.

Three other similar charges involving one of the four survivors, whom he molested on four separate occasions, were considered during his sentencing, according to the report.

According to The Straits Times, the former bank manager molested the four cabin crew members on board a flight from San Francisco to Singapore in November 2024.