Indian-American doctor arrested for masturbating in front of teen girl on flight

A Boston-based doctor has been accused of exposing himself on a flight (Representational image)

An Indian-American doctor has been arrested in the US for allegedly masturbating in front of a teenaged girl on a flight. Sudipta Mohanty, 33, was arrested Thursday and accused of performing the lewd act on a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Honolulu to Boston in May 2022, according to CNBC.

Mohanty was travelling to Boston with a female companion. They were seated next to the 14-year-old girl who later complained about the doctor’s behaviour.

According to charging documents, the unnamed girl was flying to Boston with her grandparents who were sitting across the aisle. About halfway through the journey, she noticed that Mohanty had spread a blanket over himself and his leg was bouncing up and down. She soon observed that the blanket was no longer covering Mohanty and that he had unzipped his pants. He masturbated until ejaculation, according to the filing.

When Mohanty, an internal medicine doctor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, went to the washroom, the girl moved to an empty seat. She said she felt “disgusted and very uncomfortable.”

The 14-year-old told her grandparents about the incident after landing, who then notified authorities. When Mohanty was questioned by two FBI agents at his house, he appeared to be “visibly nervous”.

“His hands and voice trembled,” per the FBI officers’ report.

The doctor denied the allegations, saying: “I have no recollection of that.”

Mohanty has been charged with one count of lewd, indecent and obscene acts while in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. He appeared at federal court on Thursday and has been released on bail with the stipulation that he stay away from people under 18 and any places where they might gather.

A spokesperson for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center told Boston.com that Mohanty “is on leave and not currently practicing at BIDMC,” while acknowledging that the hospital is aware of the allegations against him.