Latest: According to the Times of India, the NRI has been identified as Ravindra Jhunjhunwala (also known as Ravin Jhunjhunwala). The TOI report state that he has a daughter.
Speaking to TOI, Jhunjhunwala said: "My intention was not to misbehave with her. I accidentally touched her hand because of the jerk during landing. She is making a mountain out of a molehill."
"The video did not carry my version in which I apologised and said I accidentally touched her. I am going to file a defamation suit against her for tarnishing my image on social media."
Woman claims capture
A young woman’s video capturing her alleged molester on board an Indigo flight has gone viral.
The video captures the alleged culprit, a man in his early 60s, cowering and repeated mumbling “sorry”, as the girl prods him with: “You’re asking for forgiveness, why, because I’m a girl? And you have the right to touch me anytime anywhere you want to?”
Talking to Emirates 24|7, Radha Ramamurthy, a passenger on the same domestic flight (Mumbai to Bhubaneswar on January 27) recalled how the woman ensured the man was arrested after touchdown.
“At first, we couldn’t understand what was going on. As soon as we landed, we heard a girl screaming,” she said. “I was seated a few rows behind her, so couldn’t get the real picture.”
Radha added that the yelling didn’t stop, and she looked very disturbed. “Soon we got an idea of what had happened. The man was mumbling ‘sorry’ and nothing else.”
The Indigo crew were extremely helpful. Soon, the airport security stepped in, and the man was taken away. “All the while he looked dazed, and repeated ‘sorry’.”
“Kudos to the girl for showing so much courage. She could’ve just ignored and gone off, but she didn’t. And that’s commendable.”
However, Radha pointed out that most passengers were more interested in getting off the plane than in stepping up and supporting the girl. “And, that’s unfortunate.”
The man, reportedly a businessman from Singapore, is currently in police custody in Bhubaneswar.
The girl has posted the video on YouTube as well as on her Facebook account.
Within hours, it went viral, and has so far got more than 1.5 million views.
The incident has also been flagged by various Indian media publications.
On her Facebook post, she wrote: “This man on the seat behind mine, put his fingers in the seat gap to touch me. I was very shocked for some time to react. By then the flight went to landing mode. Then the moment flight touched down, I got up.
“Saw his hand was again on the side ready to take up any opportunity to touch me. I created such a scene, humiliated him in front of the whole flight. He thought like usual girls will keep quiet and he can get away with this. I have lodged an FIR [first information report] now.
“He is a very rich man of Bhubaneswar and is now very humiliated in front of the people who know him. Can't believe the ordeal I had to go through but being silent is a crime.
“The police officer was very helpful and the Indigo staff remained with me throughout.”
She added, “I clicked his pictures and made videos, shouted so loud that the entire plane came forward to see him. I made sure I humiliate him as much as possible because I know law will do nothing.”