Mumbai: Man smokes cigar mid air in flight, held

A 36-year-old man was arrested for allegedly smoking a flavoured cigar aboard a Riyadh-Mumbai flight mid air in the aircraft's bathroom. The offence was reported as soon as the flight landed and the accused was booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for endangering life and personal safety of others.

According to police sources, the man, identified as Jahangir Siddiqui Malik, a construction worker in the Saudi Arabia was on his way to Mumbai in IndiGo flight 6e-1826 on February 28. Siddiqui, who was given an exquisite flavoured cigar by one of his acquaintances, was carrying it on the flight.

A senior police official said that out of curiosity, Siddiqui went into the bathroom of the aircraft and lit up the flavoured cigar, which immediately sounded a smoke alert on the aircraft. While the airplane crew rushed to the bathroom and extinguished the cigar, Siddiqui was asked to be seated, and as soon as the plane landed in Mumbai, he was handed over to the Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF), which gave his custody to Sahar Police.

During the preliminary probe, Siddiqui said that he had not acted rashly deliberately but was only curious. Nobody was injured in the incident, said police.

Acting on the complaint from the aircraft crew, Siddiqui was arrested and booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Aircraft Act for endangering life and personal safety of others on the plane. Since it was a bailable offence, he was later granted bail.