The Kempegowda International Airport (KIAL) police have arrested an airport staffer following a complaint by a South Korean national who alleged sexual harassment during a security check at Bengaluru airport.
According to police, the incident occurred on January 19 when the woman had arrived at the airport to travel to South Korea. Acting on her complaint, the airport police registered a case and took the accused into custody.
“An incident of sexual harassment of a South Korean woman under the pretext of inspection has been reported at the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru. An airport staffer has been arrested for sexually harassing a foreign woman who had come to the airport to travel to Korea,” police said.
As per the complaint, the accused allegedly claimed that a beeping sound was coming from the woman’s bag during ticket inspection and asked her to undergo a separate check. He then took her to the men’s toilet, where he allegedly touched her inappropriately under the pretext of inspection.
“The staffer said that a beeping sound was coming from the woman's bag and asked her to be checked separately. He took the woman to the men's toilet. There, he touched her inappropriately under the pretext of inspection,” the police said.
The woman reportedly protested strongly against the actions, but the accused allegedly continued the search, forcibly hugged her, touched her private parts, and then walked away after saying, “Okay, thank you.”
Following the incident, the woman approached airport security personnel, who immediately detained the accused and handed him over to the airport police. Police said CCTV footage from the airport corroborated the sequence of events described in the complaint.
“The CCTV footage confirmed the same. The Kempegowda Airport Police have registered a case against the accused, and he has been arrested. Investigation is underway,” police said, adding that a case has been registered under Section 75 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The police said further investigation into the matter is ongoing.