'Touched, hugged & thanked her': Bengaluru airport staff arrested after he gropes South Korean woman while 'frisking'
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Touched, hugged & thanked her': Bengaluru airport staff arrested after he gropes South Korean woman while 'frisking'")
Representational Image. Photograph: (Freepik)
The incident occurred in the international departure area of Terminal 2 of the airport, where the woman, who arrived in India on a tourist visa in November, was returning to her own country.
An airline ground-handling staff member at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), Bengaluru, has been arrested after a 32-year-old businesswoman from South Korea accused him of sexual harassment in the name of "manual frisking". The woman also said that the accused reportedly touched her inappropriately, hugged her and thanked her.
The incident occurred in the international departure area of Terminal 2 of the airport, where the woman, who arrived in India on a tourist visa in November, was returning to her own country. Soon after the complaint, the accused, identified as Mohammed Affann Ahmed, 25, a resident of Kammanahalli, was arrested on Tuesday and remanded to Central Jail at Parappana Agrahara, according to a report in the TOI.
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‘Manual frisking’
Based on her complaint, Ahmed approached her at nearly 10.45 am after she had cleared the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) frisking and immigration checks. He checked the woman's boarding pass, claiming an issue with her checked-in baggage.
The accused allegedly told the woman that rechecking her baggage would take time and asked her to accompany him for what he described as “manual frisking”. He then took her near the men’s washroom, where, under the pretext of a security check, he is accused of touching her chest repeatedly, asking her to turn around and molesting her.
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When the woman protested, he allegedly hugged her, thanked her and asked her to leave. After she lodged a complaint, airport authorities detained Ahmed, a ground-handling staff member, and informed the KIA police. Airport officials said Ahmed was not authorised to conduct any physical checks on passengers. They said that in case of suspicion, he was required to inform immigration or CISF personnel so that frisking could be carried out by authorised female security staff.
AISATS spokesperson said, "An unpardonable incident was reported at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru. The employee involved was immediately terminated and handed over to the authorities for further legal action. We deeply regret the emotional distress caused by the incident and have extended all necessary support to the guest. A comprehensive inquiry is underway to strengthen safeguards and prevent any recurrence. AISATS is fully cooperating with the authorities and remains committed to the highest standards of ethics, safety, and compliance."
Meanwhile, police said CCTV footage supported the woman’s allegations. A case of sexual harassment has been filed against Ahmed, who has been remanded to judicial custody.
