Pilot Charged With Sexual Assault of Cabin Crew Member in Bengaluru Hotel

A pilot operating a chartered flight has been formally charged with the sexual assault of a 26-year-old female cabin crew member in a prominent hotel in Bengaluru on the night of November 18, 2025. The gravity of the accusation, involving a senior flight deck member and a junior colleague under the same employment roster, has triggered widespread concern within the Indian aviation industry, raising fresh questions about the safety of crew members during mandatory layovers away from their home bases.

The survivor, visibly traumatized, chose not to report the matter immediately in Bengaluru and instead approached Begumpet Police Station in Hyderabad immediately upon returning to her domicile city. Exercising her legal right, she lodged a Zero FIR – a provision that allows registration of cognizable offences irrespective of territorial jurisdiction – under applicable sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, including those pertaining to sexual assault and criminal intimidation. This mechanism ensured that no time was lost in initiating formal legal proceedings despite the inter-state nature of the incident.

As per established protocol in Zero FIR cases, the complaint was swiftly transferred from Hyderabad to Halasuru Gate Police Station in Bengaluru, the jurisdictional authority covering the five-star hotel where the alleged crime occurred. Senior officers in Bengaluru have confirmed that the accused pilot has been served notice and is being questioned in connection with the case. Sources within the investigation team indicate that the police are in the process of recording detailed statements from other crew members who were part of the same charter operation, as well as examining hotel CCTV footage and access logs for corroborative evidence.

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Preliminary inquiries suggest the assault took place after the conclusion of flight duties when the crew checked into the hotel for an overnight halt before the return leg the following morning. According to the complainant’s statement, the pilot allegedly entered her room under the pretext of discussing operational matters and committed the offence despite her clear resistance. The delayed reporting, police sources said, stemmed from shock, fear of professional repercussions, and the power imbalance inherent in the cockpit-cabin hierarchy – factors that often deter victims in the highly structured environment of commercial and charter aviation.

With the case now under active investigation by Bengaluru City Police, both the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the charter operator are expected to face intense scrutiny regarding existing policies on crew accommodation, room allocation protocols, and mechanisms for immediate reporting of harassment during outstation duties. Women’s rights advocates have pointed to this incident as yet another stark reminder of the urgent need for stronger safeguards and zero-tolerance enforcement in an industry where long-duty hours and shared layover arrangements continue to expose cabin crew, especially women, to heightened vulnerability.

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