New Delhi: An Indian-American doctor is facing criminal charges for allegedly masturbating in front of a 14-year-old girl on a flight from Hawaii to Boston last year.
The 33-year-old Dr Sudipta Mohanty, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, has been arrested and charged with lewd, indecent and obscene acts, US Attorney’s office for Massachusetts said in a press release.
The shameful incident took place on May 27, 2022 when Dr Mohanty was flying from Honolulu to Boston with a female companion on a Hawaiian Airlines flight. He was seated next to a 14-year-old girl in the aircraft.
Midway through the flight, the girl noticed that Dr Mohanty had covered himself with a blanket up to his neck, and his leg was bouncing up and down, the statement said. Some time later, the girl allegedly saw that the blanket was on the floor, and Mohanty was masturbating.
An affidavit filed in the case in a Boston federal court said that Mohanty’s companion, seated on his other side, was his partner.
The victim was travelling with her grandparents, who were seated nearby in a different row. The girl moved to an empty seat in a different row for the remainder of the flight, Universal Hub reported.
The minor told her relatives about what happened after the flight arrived in Boston, and Law Enforcement was notified.
“Everyone, especially children, has the absolute right to not be exposed to lewd conduct when they are travelling. If you engage in the type of illicit behaviour alleged here, you will be caught and held accountable wherever it happens,” Acting US Attorney Joshua Levy said in the release.
Mohanty, a primary care doctor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, has been released after an initial appearance in Boston’s federal court.
If proven guilty, Dr Mohanty will be sentenced to 90 days in prison followed by a year of supervised release and a fine of up to $5,000.
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