Man held for assaulting cabin crew, trying to open door of Bahrain-bound Air India Express flight

Mumbai: The Mumbai police have arrested a 25-year-old man for allegedly assaulting the cabin crew onboard an Air India Express flight from Kozhikode to Bahrain and trying to open the door of the aircraft, an official said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Musavir Nadukandee, was arrested after the flight made an emergency landing at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) here on Saturday, an official from Sahar police said.

Nadukandee, who hails from Kerala, woke up when the flight took off from Kozhikode and immediately went to the back of the aircraft, where he allegedly assaulted the cabin crew and tried to open the door of the aircraft, he said.

When the crew members managed to bring the man back to his seat, he started verbally abusing and assaulting other passengers and threatened to open the emergency door, the official said.

Fearing a security threat, the pilot made an emergency landing at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) and alerted the security officials, he said.

A case has been registered against the accused under sections 336 (act endangering life), 504 (provocation to breach of the peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant provisions of the Aircraft Act, the official said.