USA: Indian-origin doctor accused of performing lewd act in front of teen on flight held

A 33-year-old Indian-origin doctor has been arrested and charged in the US for allegedly exposing himself and performing a lewd act next to a teenage girl onboard a flight last year.

Dr Sudipta Mohanty was arrested on Thursday and charged by criminal complaint with one count of lewd, indecent and obscene acts while in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the US, according to the US Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts.

Mohanty, an internal medicine and primary care doctor, was released on conditions following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston, it said in a press release on Thursday.

In May last year, Mohanty, travelling with a female companion on a flight en route from Honolulu to Boston, was seated next to a 14-year-old minor travelling with her grandparents.

According to the charging documents, halfway through the flight, the minor observed that Mohanty was masturbating. She moved to an empty seat in a different row for the remainder of the flight and informed family members about the incident after arriving in Boston. Subsequently, law enforcement was notified.