60-year-old pilot accused of raping co-pilot at Bengaluru hotel during layover, FIR registered

Representative image

A police inquiry is under way after a woman co-pilot alleged that fellow 60-year-old pilot Rohit Sharan assaulted her during a duty halt in Bengaluru, according to reports.

The incident, which she reportedly says occurred on November 18, was first reported in Hyderabad before the case was forwarded to the Bengaluru jurisdiction, where the alleged offence took place.

According to her statement, she, Sharan, and another male pilot had flown a chartered aircraft from Begumpet to Bengaluru with a stop in Puttaparthi. Since they were expected to operate a return flight the next day, all three stayed at the same hotel.

Police said the group stepped out together that evening but later returned to rest before the next duty cycle.

In her complaint, the woman claimed that Sharan asked her to accompany him “for a smoke.” She told investigators that instead of heading outside, he led her toward his room, and “forcibly took her inside the room and raped her.”

The officers noted that she returned to Hyderabad with the crew on November 20, where she immediately informed the aviation firm’s management and filed zero FIR at the Begumpet police station.

Officials confirmed that the FIR cites section 63 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to the offence of rape.

Since the alleged crime unfolded in Bengaluru, the report was transferred to the Halasuru Police Station for detailed investigation.

They added that the accused pilot, employed by a private aviation company, had arrived at the hotel with the survivor and another colleague after flying in from Begumpet and Puttaparthi earlier that day.

Police say that inquiries are continuing and that “appropriate action will follow” once the investigation progresses.