Indian arrested for molesting lady on flight to US

New York: Veerabhadrarao Kunam, 58 year old, a resident of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, is charged by the complaint with one count of abusive sexual contact. He has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman who was sitting next to him on a flight from Los Angeles to New Jersey.

Kunam was arrested on July 30 when his flight arrived at Newark and was taken into federal custody by the FBI. He appeared before US magistrate judge Joseph Dickson on Tuesday in Newark federal court and was released on a $50,000 secured bond. The charge carries a maximum potential penalty of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The federal government has exclusive jurisdiction over all sexual abuse cases that occur on aircraft in flight in the United States. According to the complaint, Kunam was seated next to a woman who occupied a middle seat on a flight from Los Angeles to Newark.