NEW DELHI: A sacked executive of US banking giant Wells Fargo accused of urinating on a fellow passenger aboard an Air India flight has been arrested, a police spokesperson said Saturday.
Shankar Mishra, the former vice president of the bank’s Indian operations, was on the run from authorities after an elderly woman complained about the November incident to the airline’s management.
Media reports said Mishra had switched his phone off but remained in touch with his friends over social media and made a credit card transaction in India’s IT capital Bangalore, which gave away his location.
He was being brought to capital New Delhi where police are investigating the allegations, the reports said.
A police spokesperson in Delhi confirmed Mishra’s arrest to AFP without giving any other details.
Wells Fargo said Friday its employee had been sacked after the “deeply disturbing” allegations came to light.
Mishra was reportedly drunk during the journey from New York to New Delhi on November 26 when he allegedly unzipped his pants and urinated on a 72-year-old woman seated in business class.
The airline said it had failed to properly address the incident and was reviewing its policy on serving alcohol during flights.
“Air India acknowledges that it could have handled these matters better, both in the air and on the ground and is committed to taking action,” chief executive Campbell Wilson said in a Saturday statement.
The airline, recently bought by the Tata Group conglomerate after decades under state control, has faced severe criticism for its handling of the woman’s complaint.
India’s aviation regulator this week admonished its management for not reporting the incident at the time.
Police arrest Indian executive for urinating on plane passenger
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Police arrest Indian executive for urinating on plane passenger
Sydney man jailed for mailing reptiles in popcorn bags
- The eight-year term handed down on Friday was a record for wildlife smuggling, federal environment officials said
SYDNEY: A Sydney man who tried to post native lizards, dragons and other reptiles out of Australia in bags of popcorn and biscuit tins has been sentenced to eight years in jail, authorities said Tuesday.
The eight-year term handed down on Friday was a record for wildlife smuggling, federal environment officials said.
A district court in Sydney gave the man, 61-year-old Neil Simpson, a non-parole period of five years and four months.
Investigators recovered 101 Australian reptiles from seized parcels destined for Hong Kong, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Romania, the officials said in a statement.
The animals — including shingleback lizards, western blue-tongue lizards, bearded dragons and southern pygmy spiny-tailed skinks — were posted in 15 packages between 2018 and 2023.
“Lizards, skinks and dragons were secured in calico bags. These bags were concealed in bags of popcorn, biscuit tins and a women’s handbag and placed inside cardboard boxes,” the statement said.
The smuggler had attempted to get others to post the animals on his behalf but was identified by government investigators and the New South Wales police, it added.
Three other people were convicted for taking part in the crime.
The New South Wales government’s environment department said that “the illegal wildlife trade is not a victimless crime,” harming conservation and stripping the state “and Australia of its unique biodiversity.”
