A Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight. Representative image
Reuters
Singapore: A 73-year-old Indian national was charged in a Singapore court on Monday for allegedly molesting four women while on board a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from the US to Singapore.
Balasubramanian Ramesh is accused of molesting one of the women four times and is said to have targeted the three others once each on the flight on November 18.
He was handed seven molestation charges in a district court on Monday, The Straits Times reported.
Court documents do not disclose if the women were the carrier’s passengers or crew, and they cannot be named due to a gag order to protect their identities.
Balasubramanian is accused of molesting the first alleged victim at around 3:15 am and his second alleged victim about five minutes later during the flight. He allegedly molested the second woman three more times between 3:30 am and 6 am.
He is also said to have outraged the modesty of a third woman at around 9:30 am and allegedly molested the fourth woman at around 5:30 pm.
He is expected to plead guilty on December 13, according to the Singapore daily.
For each count of molestation, an offender can be jailed for up to three years, fined or caned, or receive any combination of such punishments.
However, Balasubramanian cannot be caned as he is over 50 years old.