A cab driver named E Prashant Kumar (23) was arrested, on Tuesday, July 21, for allegedly sexually and physically assaulting an IndiGo cabin crew member by the Hyderabad police. The incident occurred on the previous day, July 20, when the 37-year-old woman was travelling to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) for work in a car provided by the airline to its staff members.
Prashant, who worked as a driver with IndiGo’s cab service for employees, picked the woman up from her residence in Shamshabad around 2 pm on July 20, according to The Hindu.
The driver allegedly took a detour, claiming he needed a bathroom break, The Times of India reported. He then stopped the car near a building under construction, and allegedly sexually assaulted her.
Prashant reportedly fled after construction workers intervened. The woman registered a complaint with the RGIA police who arrested Prashant on July 21. He was sent to judicial remand. Police have booked Prashant for rape and assault.
Earlier in April, a passenger on an IndiGo flight from Hyderabad to Udaipur was booked for allegedly taking photographs of cabin crew members without their consent, while zooming the camera in on various body parts. The complaint said he was allegedly drunk, and used abusive language with a fellow passenger who questioned his behaviour. The accused was deboarded in Hyderabad and an FIR was registered under Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).