A 17-year-old Bollywood actor, known for her roles in recent hit movies, was molested on board a Delhi-Mumbai Vistara flight on Saturday night.
After the actor posted a video online of the incident, police registered a case and detained Vikas Sachdev (39), employed in a senior position with a leading entertainment firm, on Sunday. The actor was travelling with her mother.
The Sahar police registered a case under Section 354 of the IPC for outraging a woman’s modesty and relevant Sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. In the video posted by the victim, the passenger seated behind her is seen shoving his leg through the gap between her seat and the cabin wall and placing it on her armrest. The actor is seen crying in the video and saying that this is not how one should be made to feel.
The actor told the police that she tried to record the act, but since the lights in the cabin were dimmed it could not be captured clearly. She also claimed that the airline crew were of no help.
Vistara issued a statement saying, “We are aware of the incident reported by the passenger on our flight UK-981 on Saturday night. A detailed investigation of the incident, which apparently involved a male passenger on the flight, is under way. We are talking to the crew who served the complainant to understand the incident at greater length, and reaching out to fellow passengers as well. We continue to give this case our highest attention and are extending our full support to all relevant authorities.”
On why the crew did not help, it said, “It appears the crew only became aware of something amiss during final descent when they were seated for landing.”
