A South Korean woman travelling through Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport on 19 January 2026 reported being sexually harassed by a ground staff member.
The incident occurred after she had completed security and immigration checks, while preparing to board a flight to South Korea. The accused, a contract staffer, was detained by airport security and subsequently arrested by police. Authorities have registered a case and initiated an investigation into the matter.
According to The Hindu, the 32-year-old Korean national alleged that the staffer stopped her for additional verification, citing issues with her baggage and ticket.
She stated that she was taken to the men’s washroom under the pretext of further inspection, where she was subjected to an intrusive physical search without her consent. The complainant reported severe discomfort and humiliation, and immediately sought legal action.
As reported by Deccan Herald, the accused, identified as Mohammed Affann Ahamed, was a 25-year-old employee of Air India SATS. He allegedly approached the passenger after she had cleared CISF and immigration formalities, claimed a beeping sound was coming from her bag, and persuaded her to move to a secluded area near the men’s restroom. There, he is accused of inappropriately touching her multiple times and hugging her, before fleeing the scene after she resisted.
As highlighted by Financial Express, airport authorities clarified that the staff member was not authorised to conduct any physical frisking. In cases of genuine suspicion, protocol requires alerting immigration or CISF personnel, and ensuring that any frisking of women passengers is conducted by authorised female staff. CCTV footage reportedly corroborated the complaint, and the accused was taken into custody.
The accused “had no right to physically check or frisk passengers, adding that he was expected to alert immigration or CISF personnel if he suspected something,” airport officials stated, as referenced in multiple reports.
Further details confirmed that the woman, who had arrived in India on a tourist visa in November, was returning to her home country at the time of the incident. The accused was detained by airport security staff after the complaint was lodged and was handed over to the police for further investigation.
The police confirmed that CCTV footage supported the woman’s account.
Airport police registered a case under Section 75 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the accused was remanded to judicial custody as investigation continued.
Note: This article is produced using AI-assisted tools and is based on publicly available information. It has been reviewed by The Quint's editorial team before publishing.