Passenger accused of repeatedly exposing himself during flight to Boston

A man flying from Abu Dhabi to Boston reportedly masturbated in his seat after brutally hitting a female passenger, grabbing her breasts and taking photos without consent on Monday.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Massachusetts federal court, 39-year-old Krishna Kunapuli was spotted “actively masturbating” after a woman rejected his rude advances in a nearby argument.

Flight EY7 was four hours into its flight on Oct. 21 when Mr Kunapuli, in seat 38A, began harassing an unidentified woman in seat 44G after she joined the queue while he waited for the toilet, the affidavit said.

Mr. Kunapuli soon began “complimenting (the passenger) on her appearance, telling her she was beautiful,” “bragging about his wealth” and asking the woman “if she wanted to spend the night with him in Boston, and offered to give her $5,000. as a gift,” it added.

Mr Kunapuli then reportedly began “touching the woman’s hair and brushing it away from her face with his fingers”.

The female passenger used Wi-Fi issues as an excuse to alert a galley flight attendant to the unwanted advances.

Cabin crew on the 14-hour Etihad Airways flight then notified police of the indecent behavior, according to an FBI affidavit attached to the complaint.

The affidavit says a flight attendant assumed they were “a romantic couple” after seeing Mr. Kunapuli grab the woman’s breast and take pictures.

According to the complaint, Mr. Kunapuli was then suspected of masturbating under a blanket by other passengers after being returned to his seat by the crew.

One passenger told authorities that Mr. Kunapuli’s penis was then “exposed” and “masturbated” for about ten minutes before he was forced to stop.

FBI agents, along with Massachusetts State Police investigators, met the plane upon landing at Boston Logan International Airport and removed him from the plane.

Under questioning, “he admitted to investigators that he masturbated while at EY7,” the affidavit said.

Mr. Kunapuli faces one count of lewd, indecent and obscene acts while in the United States Special Aviation Jurisdiction and, if convicted, up to 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.

The Indian national does not yet have an attorney listed in the lawsuits and could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Etihad Airways did not immediately respond The independent‘s request for comment.

In 2022, a man aboard a Southwest Airlines flight from Seattle to Phoenix was hit with federal charges for masturbating at least four times during the three-hour trip. He later told police he thought his vulgar actions were “a bit kinky.”

Antonio Sherrodd McGarity reportedly pulled down his pants and started touching himself shortly after the flight took off.

In a statement, Southwest Airlines said McGarity will be banned from flying with the airline for life.

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