British Indian arrested for touching woman's thighs on Lufthansa flight

An Indian-origin British citizen was arrested on Tuesday by the Bengaluru International Airport police for allegedly touching a woman co-passenger inappropriately on board a Frankfurt-Bengaluru Lufthansa Airlines flight.

He was later released on bail, the police said.

The 52-year-old suspect, Sankaranarayanan Ranganathan, was on seat 38J, while the woman was on seat 38K aboard flight LH-0754.

The woman, in her complaint, said, “After about four hours of take-off, I fell asleep. But when I woke up, Ranganathan’s hand was on my thigh. I immediately pushed his hand away."

She said that she fell asleep again, but when she woke up around midnight, she found his hand on her thigh again. “I put his hand away and informed the flight crew. I requested for a change of seat and moved immediately,” she said.

A senior police officer, who investigated the case, told DH that Ranganathan was visiting Bengaluru on work. He was arrested after the flight landed at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) and was later released on bail.

An FIR has been registered at the Bengaluru International Airport police station under IPC Section 354A (punishment for sexual harassment).