The Mumbai Police on Sunday arrested a man accused of molesting actor Zaira Wasim on board a Delhi-Mumbai Air Vistara flight, The Times of India reported. Vikas Sachdeva, a 39-year-old senior executive with an entertainment company, was identified with the airline’s help and the description provided by the actor.
Sachdeva has been charged under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, and was produced before the magistrate court in Andheri on Monday, the Hindustan Times reported. He was remanded in police custody till December 13.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said that Sachdeva would be put on a national no-fly list if convicted.
Wasim had alleged via a live video on Instagram that Sachdeva misbehaved with her. She also shared a photo that reportedly showed him with his foot on her armrest. “I ignored it the first time and blamed the turbulence for it,” she wrote on Instagram. “Until I woke up to this pleasant sight of his beautiful foot rubbing my back and neck. Guess he could not sit like a civilised human being and placed his foot on my arm rest while he is fully ‘phelaoed’ on his seat.”
The airline said that the flight crew could not come to the teenage actor’s aid when she called for help because the flight was descending and everyone had their seat belts on.
Meanwhile, Sachdeva’s wife claimed Wasim made the allegation for publicity, according to News18. “He was exhausted and just wanted to sleep,” she said, adding that he was returning from an uncle’s funeral. “He put his feet up to rest and slept through the flight. Just before landing, Zaira Wasim said why don’t you keep your legs on my head. That’s when he realised his legs touched her hand by mistake.”
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