Authorities in India have filed charges against a 60-year-old pilot of a private Indian airline after he was accused of raping a 26-year-old air hostess during an overnight stay at a luxury hotel in Bengaluru.
The alleged assault occurred on November 18, after the flight crew arrived in the city following a chartered trip from Hyderabad and Puttaparthi in southern India. They had checked into the hotel ahead of their scheduled return flight the next morning.
In her complaint, the woman reported that the pilot, identified as Rohit Saran, asked her to step outside his room for a cigarette break. Once near the doorway, he allegedly forced her inside and assaulted her. She told police that she was able to escape shortly afterward but remained deeply distressed and fearful.
The survivor said she informed her company’s management upon returning to Hyderabad on November 20 and then filed a preliminary police report, known locally as a zero FIR.
A formal case has since been registered under India’s newly updated criminal code covering rape. The investigation has been transferred to Halasuru Police Station in Bengaluru, where officers are continuing to gather evidence.