An Indo-American doctor has been arrested over allegations of masturbating in front of a 14-year-old girl on a flight from Hawaii to Boston last year. In a tweet, Official FBI Boston account tweeted about the arrest, stating Dr. Sudipta Mohanty, aged 33, was allegedly committing lewd acts in front of a 14-year-old girl on a flight from Hawaii last year. He has been released following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston. If proven guilty he will be sentenced to 90 days in prison followed by a year of supervised release and a fine of up to $5,000.

BOSTON – An Indo-American doctor has been arrested over allegations of masturbating in front of a 14-year-old girl on a flight from Hawaii to Boston last year.

In a tweet, Official FBI Boston account tweeted about the arrest, stating Dr. Sudipta Mohanty, aged 33, was allegedly committing lewd acts in front of a 14-year-old girl on a flight from Hawaii last year. He has been released following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston.

If proven guilty he will be sentenced to 90 days in prison followed by a year of supervised release and a fine of up to $5,000.

An affidavit filed in the case in a Boston federal court on Thursday states, Dr. Sudipta Mohanty and residing in Cambridge, Massachusetts, engaged in inappropriate behaviour aboard a Hawaiian Airlines flight on May 27, 2022. The incident reportedly occurred during a flight from Honolulu to Boston when he allegedly exposed himself and engaged in inappropriate conduct in the presence of a young girl.

The teenager alleges that approximately 5 hours into the flight, Mohanty covered himself with a blanket, pulling it up to his neck. At this point, she observed his leg bouncing up and down. Soon after, the blanket slipped, revealing that Mohanty's pants were unzipped, exposing his genitals. The girl felt "disgusted and very uncomfortable" and promptly moved to a different seat.

During the incident, Mohanty was seated next to a female companion who slept with her head resting on his shoulder. After the flight arrived in Boston, the minor informed her family about the unsettling incident, leading to the involvement of law enforcement.

When questioned, Mohanty responded with, ‘I have no recollection of that,’ according to authorities' reports.

‘Everyone, especially children, has the absolute right to not be exposed to lewd conduct when they are traveling,’ Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy stated in a statement following the initial court appearance.

Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dizenna of the FBI's Boston Division issued a stern statement, branding the act as "reprehensible." She emphasized that the arrest sends a clear message that the FBI takes crimes committed on aircraft seriously, encompassing a range of offences from alleged sexual misconduct in this instance to assault, interference with flight crew, and theft.

Who is Sudipta Mohanty?

According to the charging documents, Mohanty is an internal medicine and primary care doctor with a practice in Boston. It is alleged that, on May 27, 2022, Mohanty was a passenger aboard a Hawaiian Airlines Flight enroute from Honolulu to Boston with a female companion. Mohanty was allegedly seated next to a 14-year-old minor travelling with her grandparents, who were seated nearby.