‘Touched, hugged, thanked’: Airline staff member gropes South Korean woman during frisking at Bengaluru airport; arrested

BENGALURU: A 32-year-old businesswoman from South Korea accused an airline ground-handling staff member of sexual harassment at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) here Monday. In the name of "manual frisking", the accused allegedly touched her inappropriately, hugged her and thanked her.The woman, who arrived in India on a tourist visa in November, was returning to her home country when the incident took place in the international departure area of Terminal 2 of the airport. The accused, Mohammed Affann Ahmed, 25, from Kammanahalli, is not authorised to conduct frisking. He was arrested and sent to Central Jail in Parappana Agrahara on Tuesday. According to her complaint, a man approached her around 10.45am after she had cleared Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) frisking and immigration checks. Identifying himself as airport staff, he checked her boarding pass and claimed there was an issue with her checked-in baggage.Also read | 'Curiosity about blondes': Teen boy gropes American woman on Delhi metro; family says victim 'overreacting'He allegedly told her that rechecking the baggage would take time and asked her to accompany him for "manual frisking". He took her near the men's washroom, where under the guise of "manual frisking", he touched her chest multiple times, asked her to turn around and then touched her private parts. When she objected, he allegedly hugged her, thanked her, and asked her to leave.Following a complaint from the woman, airport officials detained Ahmed, a ground staff member and alerted the KIA police.Airport authorities clarified Ahmed had no authority to physically check passengers. In case of suspicion, he was required to alert immigration or CISF personnel and ensure frisking was conducted by authorised female staff.Police said CCTV footage corroborated the woman's account. A case was registered against Ahmed for sexual harassment and is in judicial custody.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."