Man Arrested for Smoking On Vistara's Flight From Muscat to Mumbai

Mumbai: A 51-year-old man was arrested for smoking in the lavatory during his flight from Muscat to Mumbai. The incident occurred on board Vistara's UK234 flight, which took off from Muscat for the Maharashtra capital on Monday night, said an official.

The passenger who hails from Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari, went to the lavatory at the rear side of the aircraft and smoked a cigarette, the official said.

The incident came to light when the pilot of the aircraft noticed it with the help of a smoke detector. The pilot informed the crew members about it, following which they checked the lavatory and found a cigarette bud in the wash basin, the official said.

After the flight landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai on Tuesday morning, the crew members informed the security supervisor on the ground about the unruly behaviour of the passenger.

The security officials then took the passenger to their office and enquired about his act. He admitted that he had smoked inside the lavatory, he said, adding that he also produced a matchbox used for lighting the cigarette.

The man was later taken to the Sahar police station in the city, where a complaint was filed against him by the security supervisor.

As per the complaint, he had deliberately violated the safety-related rules by smoking inside the plane, putting all the travellers of the flight at risk. A case was registered against the passenger under section 336 (act of endangering life or personal safety of others) of Indian Penal Code and section 25 of the Aircraft Rules, he said.

With inputs from PTI