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Indian National Convicted of Aboard Plane Sexual Assault
A 39-year-old Indian citizen has been convicted of abusing a 17-year-old girl on a flight from Dubai to Seattle, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Abhinav Kumar was arrested at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on February 18, 2024, after groping the girl’s breast on an Emirates flight.
The victim was traveling with family members who were sitting in the seats in front of her and across the aisle from her. Kumar was seated in a window seat with an open center seat between him and the victim. Kumar engaged the victim in conversation and asked her to meet him for coffee, which she politely declined.
Later, while the victim was trying to sleep under a blanket, Kumar spread his blanket over himself and over the middle seat. The on-board video shows the movement of his arm under the blanket reaching toward the victim. The victim awoke to feel a hand under her blanket, and she pulled away. The hand returned, moving up her arm, then inside her shirt, and eventually reaching her breast.
The victim froze at first but then got up and asked her mother to come to the bathroom with her. The Emirates crew was notified, and they alerted law enforcement to meet the plane. Law enforcement interviewed the victim and family members and spoke with the defendant.
In closing argument, Assistant United States Attorney Sanaa Nagi talked about how the victim was frozen with fear: “Nobody expects for a person to grope them on a flight… The defendant did not expect the victim to be brave enough to report him.”
Abusive sexual contact is punishable by up to two years in prison. Abhinav Kumar faces sentencing on August 1, 2024. The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Port of Seattle Police and Customs and Border Protection. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Miriam Hinman and Sanaa Nagi.
Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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