A man flying from Abu Dhabi to Boston was arrested on Monday for allegedly “masturbating and exposing himself” while seated near two other passengers, according to federal authorities.
Krishna Kunapuli, 39, of India, was charged with one count of lewd, indecent and obscene acts while in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, District of Massachusetts court records show.
USA TODAY contacted Kunapuli’s public defender on Tuesday but has not received a response.
Charging documents claim Kunapuli made unwanted sexual advances toward a female passenger who was also aboard an Etihad Airlines flight. His actions included touching the woman’s hair, telling her that “she was beautiful,” taking pictures of her without her permission and asking her if she would spend the night with him in Boston, according to the criminal complaint.
Kunapuli’s advances continued until a crew member intervened, prompting the man to return to his window seat on the aircraft, the charging document says.
Man admitted to inappropriate behavior on the plane, court doc says
After the crew member’s intervention, two male passengers seated near Kunapuli noticed him masturbating under a blanket, and at times, with his genitalia fully exposed, according to the charging document. One of the passengers reported Kunapuli’s actions to a flight attendant who intervened and notified law enforcement, the court document continues.
When the flight attendant went to confront Kunapuli, he had his pants unzipped and was actively masturbating, the criminal complaint says. Once alerted by the flight attendant, Kunapuli zipped up his pants and apologized, according to the court document.
Once removed from the flight, Kunapuli agreed to speak to investigators and told them that he indeed masturbated while aboard the plane, according to the charging document.
A Justice Department release said the charges against Kunapuli could result in him spending up to 90 days in prison, receiving a $5,000 fine and having one year of supervised release.