The Aryavarth Express
Agency (New Delhi): A 51-year-old passenger was apprehended for smoking in the lavatory of a flight during his journey from Muscat to Mumbai, an official said on Wednesday. The incident occurred on Vistara’s UK234 flight, which departed from Muscat to Maharashtra’s capital at 11:56 PM on Monday.
The passenger, Balakrishna Rajayan, from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, went to the lavatory at the rear of the aircraft and smoked a cigarette, the official reported. The incident was detected when the pilot noticed it using a smoke detector. The pilot then alerted the crew, who checked the lavatory and found a cigarette butt in the wash basin.
Upon landing at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai on Tuesday morning, the crew informed the ground security supervisor about the passenger’s behavior. Security officials took Rajayan to their office for questioning, where he admitted to smoking in the lavatory and produced the matchbox he used to light the cigarette.
Rajayan was later taken to the Sahar police station, where a complaint was filed against him by the security supervisor. The complaint stated that Rajayan had deliberately violated safety regulations by smoking inside the plane, thus endangering the lives of all passengers on board.
A case was registered against Rajayan under Section 336 of the Indian Penal Code, which pertains to acts endangering life or personal safety of others, and Section 25 of the Aircraft Rules. An investigation into the incident is currently underway.
