- A Korean tourist was sexually assaulted by airport staff at Bengaluru airport
- The staffer, Mohammed Affan, asked her to a men's washroom for a personal check
- Affan touched her inappropriately and hugged her after the check was done
A Korean woman tourist who was sexually assaulted by a ground staffer at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport has recounted the harrowing experience in an interview with NDTV. Kim Sung Kyung, who has consented to reveal her identity, said that the airport staff took her near the men's washroom in the airport and did "inappropriate things" to her.
The male staffer, identified as Mohammed Affan, was arrested after a complaint was lodged by her.
Affan, she said, approached her after her immigration check when she was proceeding towards the terminal to catch a flight to Korea. He then told her that her luggage made a "beep beep" sound and asked her to step aside for a personal check. She agreed, believing it was a serious issue.
"He asked me to come to the men's washroom and did some inappropriate things. The way he approached and explained everything was very professional and very serious," said the foreigner, trusting the staffer so as not to breach security protocols in place.
The male staffer then did a body check on the woman. "He kind of squeezed the body in a very inappropriate way," she added.
On the way to the men's washroom, the staffer kept her engaged with conversations on protocol, which appeared normal to her. "After everything seemed done, he suddenly hugged me and said 'thank you'," she said, recounting that the informal hug made her realise something was wrong. "I was freaked out," she added.
She then tried to move away from him and safely report the incident. "My priority was I should get away from him safely. That was my intention," she said.
However, since it was already her boarding time, she approached a Singapore Airlines staff, who told her it wasn't normal to undergo a personal check. The airline staff helped her lodge a complaint. Soon, the airport security personnel took Affan into custody and handed him over to the police.
The police went through the CCTV footage from the airport and saw Affan's deplorable act. Based on the tourist's complaint, the airport police registered a case and arrested Affan.
Kyung, who was in India for the first time, said the staffer had an airline tag, and he came across as someone with authority. Since her immigration check was over, she believed it could not be a scam, and that all steps would be for national security and safety.
Affan worked for Air India SATS, which provides ground and cargo services at airports.
Describing the incident as "unpardonable", the company said it has sacked Affan. An inquiry is being undertaken to strengthen safeguards and prevent any recurrence, it said.
