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The Police will be charging a 42-year-old male Indian national in court on 1 April 2025 for allegedly using criminal force, criminal intimidation, being intoxicated onboard jeopardising good order and discipline of an aircraft.

On 27 February 2025 at about 6.55pm, the Police were alerted to an incident of a man behaving in a threatening manner while onboard a flight.

Investigations revealed that during the flight, the man, who was believed to intoxicated, had grabbed a passenger seated beside him and forcefully pushed the seat in front of him, causing annoyance to other passengers. The man behaved aggressively even when the cabin crew intervened and tried to calm him down. 

The man later allegedly grabbed the wrist of a male cabin crew and verbally threatened to kill him. The man only became compliant after he was told that the aircraft would return to his embarkation location if he continued his behaviour. He was then placed under restraints by the cabin crew for the rest of the journey. Upon arrival at Changi Airport, the man was arrested by officers from the Airport Police Division. 

The man will be charged with the following offences:

1. Using criminal force to a person under Sec 352 Penal Code 1871 read with Section 3(1) Tokyo Convention Act 1971, which carries an imprisonment for a term of up to 3 months or with a fine of up to $1500 or to both;
   
   
2. Criminal intimidation if the threat is to cause death under Section 506 Penal Code 1871 read with Section 3(1) Tokyo Convention Act 1971, which carries an imprisonment for a term of up to 10 years or with a fine or to both; and 
   
   
3. Being intoxicated onboard jeopardising good order and discipline under Section 38(3)(a) Air Navigation Act 1966, which carries a fine of up to $20 000 or to imprisonment for a term of up to 12 months or to both. 

The Police treat all forms of violence, threats and disruption behaviour onboard aircrafts seriously. Physical aggression, verbal threats and attempt to interfere with the crew’s duties can compromise flight safety. The Police will not hesitate to take firm action against anyone who endangers the passengers and crew onboard, and threatens the security and order of an aircraft. All air travellers are reminded to adhere to air safety regulations and conduct themselves responsibly when onboard an aircraft.