'Dragged across the ground': Air India crew member attacked in London hotel room | Latest news from India

Earlier this week, an Air India flight attendant was allegedly attacked by an intruder in a London hotel. The incident occurred on Thursday evening at the Radisson Red Hotel at London Heathrow Airport.

The attacker was caught and handed over to the police. The crew member was taken to a hospital and is now on his way back to Mumbai, reports The Hindu.

An unnamed source quoted by the Times of India said the incident occurred shortly after midnight when crew members of several Air India flights were at the site.

“The crew member was sleeping when an intruder attacked her in her room at around 1:30 a.m. She was frightened, woke up and screamed for help. He attacked her with a coat hanger and dragged her across the floor as she tried to escape to the door,” the source said.

“She was badly bruised and the intruder tried to escape. Police were called and she was taken to a hospital. She was unable to fly back to duty and a friend of the crew stayed with her,” the source added.

The airline's crew have repeatedly complained about inadequate security measures, dark corridors, an unmanned reception and miscreants knocking on the hotel's doors, The Hindu reported.

“Public order in some parts of the UK, including London, currently requires everyone there to be on alert. We are currently avoiding going out alone in London after late evening. Only hotels with absolutely reliable security systems must be selected for crew accommodation, especially if these accommodations are not in the centre but outside London,” the pilots said.

Air India confirms incident

An Air India spokesperson confirmed the incident and said the airline was offering all possible support to the crew member, including career counselling, TOI reported.

The airline also stated that the safety and well-being of its crew and staff is its top priority and that it requests that the privacy of everyone involved in the incident be respected.

“We are deeply shocked by the unlawful break-in at a hotel belonging to a major international chain, which affected one of our crew members. We are providing all possible support, including professional counselling, to our colleague and his team. Air India is also working with the local police to pursue the matter to the fullest extent of the law and with the hotel management to ensure that such incidents do not happen again,” the spokesman said, according to the newspaper.