INDIA. Mumbai: Shankar Shyam Mishra (Suraj M), who was recently sacked by the American banking giant Wells Fargo, for peeing on an elderly woman on an Air India flight, was arrested by the Delhi Police from Bengaluru and was remanded to 14 days’ judicial custody by Patiala House Court on Saturday.
Mishra. who was absconding after a complaint by a 72-year-old lady that he peed on her on an Air India flight (from New York to Delhi), in a business class cabin on November 26, 2022, in a drunken condition, became public, was arrested by police on Friday night.
On Saturday, the police sought his remand for three days for custodial interrogation, saying he was required to be identified by three cabin crew members, two captains, and other co-passengers who were also to be examined.
However, Metropolitan Magistrate Anamika passed the order to send Mishra to judicial remand, noting that his custody was not required by the police for recording the statements of other witnesses, including cabin crew and co-passengers.
“Just because there’s public pressure, don’t do this. Go by the law,” the judge said. Mishra’s bail application will be heard on January 11.
The Delhi Police on Wednesday, January 4, filed an FIR based on a complaint by Air India and registered an FIR under sections 354, 509, and 510 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 23 of the Indian Aircraft Act.
They had launched a manhunt to arrest him and formed a team to locate the former American bank executive. The team also visited Mumbai. A lookout notice was also issued, particularly for all airports, as he was expected to leave the country.
A one-storey house at Kamgar Nagar in Mumbai, where Mishra, resided with his parents, wife, and a two-and-a-half-year-old child, remained locked on Saturday.
Wells Fargo, headquartered in California, fired him on January 5 for his disgraceful behaviour and offered all assistance to the police and Air India in the investigation. Mishra worked as vice president of the India chapter.
“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 law enforcement and ask that any additional inquiries be directed to them,” the company stated.
The news evoked angry reactions from social media users, who demanded his arrest. Air India had earlier said that it imposed a flying ban on the accused for just 30 days, which caused outrage since the airline had imposed more severe bans on erring passengers for significantly minor violations in the past.
Mishra had allegedly tried to compensate the victim with financial offers to ensure that no police complaints were filed. The victim had urged the airline officials to have Mishra arrested after the flight landed in Mumbai. But the airline officials allegedly did not act on her pleas.
The matter came to light when she expressed her displeasure in a letter to Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekharan, accusing the Air India cabin crew of showing extreme insensitivity to the circumstance.
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