- Varun Arora, an Indian man, was convicted of sexual assault on a US domestic flight
- The incident occurred on August 29, 2024, from Rhode Island to Washington
- Arora was found groping a woman beside him while pretending to sleep with a mask
An Indian man was convicted by a court in Virginia, United States, for allegedly sexually assaulting a fellow passenger during a domestic flight. The accused, identified as 38-year-old Varun Arora, faces up to two years in prison.
The conviction stems from an incident that took place on August 29, 2024, when Arora was travelling on a flight from Rhode Island to Washington, according to a statement issued by the US Attorney's Office.
The court records showed that the woman, who was sitting beside Arora on the flight, woke up during the aircraft's final descent to find Arora sexually groping her.
"Arora, who was wearing a sleep mask, feigned sleep as he continued to place his hand on the victim despite her repeatedly removing his hand," the statement said.
The case was probed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Washington field office, while the prosecution was led by special assistant US attorney Madison Mumma and assistant US attorney Russell L Carlberg.
The Attorney's Office said that the Indian national is present in the United States without lawful status. He was convicted on January 29 on charges of abusive sexual contact and assault on board a flight. A federal district court judge on May 7 will determine any sentence after considering the US sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
In a similar case, a 34-year-old Indian man was sentenced to 21 months in prison in the United Kingdom in November 2025 for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl on a British Airways flight. The accused, Javed Inamdar, was travelling from Mumbai to London on December 14, 2024, when he groped the sleeping girl.
