A 56-year-old man named M Praveen Kumar was arrested upon landing at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru after endangering the lives of fellow passengers by smoking a beedi during the flight.
Kumar, a resident of Marwar junction in Rajasthan's Pali district, was flying from Ahmedabad to Bengaluru on Akasa Air when the incident occurred. This is the first arrest at KIA for smoking a beedi, although earlier this year, two passengers were booked for smoking cigarettes onboard.
Accused was flying for the first time on an airplane
Kumar, who works in the construction industry, revealed to the police that it was his first time flying. He claimed to be self-employed and unaware of the strict no-smoking rule on flights. However, a senior police officer noted that the failure to detect cigarettes during security checks is a serious lapse.
In the previous cases, the accused individuals were aware of the prohibition but still chose to smoke onboard. In Kumar's case, being a first-time flyer, he allegedly did not have knowledge of the no-smoking rule.
Kumar was found smoking a beedi in the airplane toilet
Kumar, a laborer from Marwar, was accompanying an elderly person who was flying to Bengaluru for a post-death ceremony. He admitted to the police that he regularly smokes inside train toilets and assumed he could do the same on the flight.
However, while onboard Akasa flight Q to Bengaluru, the crew members discovered him smoking a beedi in the airplane toilet. Upon landing, the airline's duty manager, Vijay Thulluru, lodged a complaint against Kumar with KIA police.
Legal consequences after the incident
After the arrest, the accused is expected to spend at least one week in judicial custody, as per a senior police official. Smoking onboard an aircraft poses risks to everyone on board, making it a serious offense.
