Bengaluru police on Wednesday arrested an employee of the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) for allegedly sexually harassing a 32-year-old South Korean woman.
The accused was identified as 25-year-old Mohammed Affan Ahmed, who worked for Air India SATS. After reports of the complaint, Affan was terminated.
Affan’s appalling act came to light after a South Korean woman lodged a complaint against Bengal airport security – after which the employee was taken into custody.
How did the incident happen?
The incident reportedly took place on Monday, January 19, when the woman was preparing to board her flight to Korea after completing immigration formalities.
According to the woman’s complaint, she was walking towards the terminal when a man approached her who asked her to check her ticket. He claimed there was a problem with her checked baggage and that it made a “beep”.
Affan allegedly warned her that returning to a regular screening desk would take time and might cause her to miss her flight. Under this pretext, he insisted on a separate inspection and took her to an isolated place near the men’s room.
Despite her objections, the staff allegedly touched the woman inappropriately. When she tried to resist, he allegedly hugged her, said “thank you” and left.
“He said it’s protocol…sorry to bother you. After all that, he hugged me and said thank you, which made me realize something was wrong. I was scared. My priority was to get away safely,” she recalled of the incident in an interview with a South Korean television channel.
Case registered in BNS sections
Following the woman’s complaint, the police reviewed the CCTV footage from the terminal and registered a case under Section 75(1)(a). i) BNS, which refers to sexual assault involving non-consensual touching.
The accused was taken to the police cell during the investigation.
who is accused
Affan was an employee of Air India SATS, which provides ground and cargo services at airports.
Air India SATS called the incident “unforgivable” and said it had fired Affana and referred her to the authorities for further legal action.
“An inexcusable incident has been reported at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. The employee concerned has been terminated immediately and referred to the authorities for further legal action. We deeply regret the emotional distress caused by the incident and have provided all necessary support to the guest. A comprehensive investigation is underway to strengthen safeguards and prevent any recurrence. AISATS is fully cooperating with the highest service providers and maintaining the highest standards of the car and remains determined said in a statement.
