Current affairs

Shocking case of urination on woman in Air India: Who is accused Shankar Mishra and how police nabbed him?

By alagu, 07 January, 2023
Air India, Delhi, Delhi Police

The shocking case of urinating on woman in the mid-air has been presenting new developments with the crucial event of arresting the accused. After an intense manhunt across major cities, the Delhi police have nabbed the accused Shankar Mishra on Saturday - January 7 and taken him under custody. In what has become an obnoxious event, Shankar Mishra was accused of urinating on an elderly woman in an Air India flight. 

34-year-old Shankar Mishra, the Mumbai-based professional, boarded an Air India flight on November 26, 2022, from New York to New Delhi. Mishra was seated in the row ahead of a 71-year-old woman on the flight and during the mid-air, he was under the influence of alcohol and he walked towards and urinated on her. The incident had soaked her clothes, shoes, and bag containing her passport. 

The issue came to light after the affected woman had complaint to Tata Chairman Chandrasekaran, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry, and the Delhi Police against Mishra and against the flawed response of the airline staff. After learning about the impending trouble, Shankar Mishra had gone absconding after which the Delhi Police formed special teams to apprehend him. Being accused of committing a disgusting and disturbing incident, Mishra was making headlines across the country.

So who is Shankar Mishra? 

34-year-old Shankar Mishra was an employee of US Financial Services firm Wells Fargo. As a resident of Mumbai, Mishra was working as the Vice President of Operations in the Indian arm of Wells Fargo. He was staying in Kamgar Nagar, Mumbai for the past two decades. He is an alumni of SVKM's Marsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, a private varsity in Mumbai. 

The local police in Mumbai have said that Mishra doesn't have any criminal background. Mishra's neighbours have said that he was staying with his elderly parents, wife, and two-year-old daughter. Mishra was a frequent flyer across the Indian cities particularly to Mumbai and Bengaluru. After the issue of urinating on woman came to light, Mishra was running across the cities to evade the arrest from the case that his father claimed to be false. 

Getting fired 

By the time when the incident was closely watched by the nation, Shankar Mishra was no more associated with Wells Fargo as his employer fired him from his role after drawing a public outcry. In a statement issued on Friday - January 6, Well Fargo said, "Wells Fargo holds employees to the highest standards of professional and personal behaviour and we find these allegations deeply disturbing."  "This individual has been terminated from Wells Fargo. We are cooperating with the law enforcement agencies and ask that any additional inquiries be directed to them", the company added. 

How the police nabbed him? 

Based on the woman's complaint, the Delhi Police booked a case against Shankar Mishra under sections 294- obscene act in any public place), 354- assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty, 509 - word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman, and 510- misconduct in public by a drunken person of the Indian Penal Code. 

The woman has also alleged that the cabin crew were not sensitive towards her and the staff declined her request to give her another seat in first class. Following the complaint, the Air India had imposed a 30-day travel ban on Shankar Mishra and formed an internal inquiry committee to probe the conduct of the crew members. On the other hand, Mishra was absconding after learning that a complaint was filed against him. 

The Delhi Police have set up two special teams and issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against Mishra. As Mishra had been travelling between Mumbai and Bengaluru, the teams were sent to these two cities and the search was intensified. The Delhi police have carried out raids in Mumbai and Bengaluru and questioned several people including Mishra's relatives. The police team had also searched his residence in Mumbai and gathered clues to locate his whereabouts. 

As the Delhi police said that Mishra's family was not cooperating for the investigations, the Mumbai Police came for an assistance and the officials were closely surveilling his residence. As one of the Delhi Police teams was in Bengaluru, the officials got a lead about Mishra's location. The reports have said that Mishra's last known location was Bengaluru, where his mobile phone was turned off on January 3. 

The police found out that he had travelled to Bengaluru in a private taxi. It has been reported that on Friday night, the police located Mishra in Bengaluru. The police traced down the taxi and questioned the driver, who gave leads about Mishra's safe haven. Finally, the police apprehended Mishra from Mahadevapura in Bengaluru on Friday night.

The Bengaluru police assisted the Delhi police and the officials have arrested Mishra. On the front of how they located Mishra, the police said that though Mishra had switched off his phone, the officials managed to locate him through social media as he was using his social media accounts to communicate with his friends. Speaking to PTI, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Airport) Ravi Kumar Singh said, "Accused Shankar Mishra in IGIA (Indira Gandhi International Airport) case has been arrested from Bengaluru by a Delhi police team."

"He has been brought to Delhi and further investigation into the case is in progress", Singh added. On Saturday, the police brought Mishra to Delhi. Mishra was then produced in a court. The Delhi police had sought three-day custody of Mishra for investigation. However, the court denied police custody and sent Mishra to a 14-day judicial custody.

The police had also questioned three Air India flight members on Saturday and as per the latest reports, Air India had issued show cause notices to crew and pilot about the incident and about the allegations made by the woman on a flawed service in the flight. On the other hand, Shankar Mishra's lawyer has approached the Delhi Patiala Court seeking a bail and his petition will be heard on January 11. 

 

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