A 42-year-old passenger on an IndiGo flight was arrested by Mumbai Police on Tuesday for smoking a beedi (cigarette) onboard, as per officials cited by news agency PTI. The incident occurred on a Delhi to Mumbai flight, where the passenger allegedly smoked a beedi in the aircraft's restroom. The IndiGo flight crew promptly intervened, and upon landing in Mumbai, the passenger was handed over to the police.

The strong scent of the beedi raised suspicions, leading the crew to conduct a thorough search, confirming that a passenger was indeed smoking. The accused admitted to the act, resulting in the filing of a case under section 336 of the IPC and Aircraft Act. The individual is currently in judicial custody, according to the police.

This isn't the first case of a passenger being apprehended for smoking onboard. In a similar incident in August last year, a male passenger was found smoking in the restroom of a Mumbai-bound IndiGo flight from Dubai. The crew reported the matter to Mumbai's Sahara police station, leading to a case under Section 336 of the IPC and Section 25 of the Aircraft Rules.

In March 2023, another passenger was apprehended at Bengaluru airport for smoking on an IndiGo flight from Kolkata. The cabin crew found a cigarette in the dustbin, resulting in her arrest and the registration of a case for endangering the lives and safety of fellow passengers.

You might also be interested in - Probe launched after 2 IndiGo planes come dangerously close after plane’s wrong turn