Mid-air molestation case: Accused NRI claims he had only covered child with a blanket

Telangana NRI, who was arrested by Sri Lankan Police upon arrival in Sri Lanka on transit, maintained that he had covered the child with a blanket when she was feeling cold upon the request from child’s mother

Jeddah: In alleged mid-air molestation case on board flight from Saudi Arabia to India, an interesting twist emerged.

The Telangana NRI, who was arrested by Sri Lankan Police upon arrival in Sri Lanka on transit, maintained that he had covered the child with a blanket when she was feeling cold upon the request from child’s mother, according to NRI’s family.

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“Since I am at first place and had an easy to access cabin above the head, I took out the blanket and covered the child, upon mother’s request, I didn’t do anything wrong”, the accused NRI told his family members while being in Sri Lankan police custody, said family.

“The child is much younger than my daughter, I have no malicious intentions whatsoever, so I covered the blanket only upon request from the child’s mother”, he told his family members in India.

The NRI family is desperately looking for help to prove his innocence in Sri Lanka. They also claimed that their breadwinner informed them that medical reports and other evidence also supported his argument of innocence.

The 49-year-old native of Jagtial Mandal in Jagtial district belongs to schedule caste and father of two children and was working as a carpenter in a leading construction firm in Riyadh for a long time.

Panicked without any help to her husband in an alien country, Gangalaxmi, wife of the accused, is pleading for fair trial and help for her husband.

Her husband was traveling to India via Sri Lanka on transit through Sri Lankan Airlines when the alleged molestation case was reported some 10 days ago.

The NRI was arrested by Sri Lankan Police when the flight landed in Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo. Since then, he has been in police custody in Sri Lanka.

“When we came to know about the case, we approached the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka,” said Abdul Rafique, a social worker said.