A mother has claimed she woke up to a man sexually assaulting her mid-flight to Thailand as she slept with her young daughter.
Beaut Pimpaporn, 33, was returning home from a trip to Milan, Italy, when she caught a connecting flight in Dubai for the onward six-hour journey to Bangkok yesterday.
As she napped with her four-year-old child on her lap, she was horrified when she awoke to the passenger next to her allegedly performing a sex act and squeezing her bottom.
Ms Pimpaporn said the Pakistani passenger Raza Ali, 30, then pretended to adjust the entertainment screen in front of her seat while repeatedly glancing at her.
Not wanting to spark panic on the FZ-1583 flight, the mother-of-one said she waited until the plane landed at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok before alerting cabin crew.
Mr Ali, who is believed to have been travelling with a Pakistani tour group, allegedly denied the accusations at first but then admitted to the incident, while he and his friends begged for forgiveness.
Tourist police and immigration officers later dragged Raza off the plane and hauled him to the police station and Ms Pimpaporn went on to make a police report.
Bravely waving her right to anonymity, Ms Pimpaporn said she wanted other women to know the risks of flying alone and have the courage to speak out if they are assaulted.
Beaut Pimpaporn, 33, has claimed she woke up to a man performing a sex act on her mid-flight to Thailand as she slept with her daughter
Raza Ali, 30, was dragged off the flight at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok by tourist police and immigration officers yesterday
Recalling the alleged incident onboard the Boeing 737 MAX 8, she said: ‘I did not understand everything the air hostess was saying to the man, because they were speaking in Arabic, but the flight attendant asked him whether he had done what I reported.
‘At first, he denied it, but eventually he admitted what happened.
‘After that, he came to me, cried, knelt down and begged for forgiveness. He kept saying he was sorry and that he would not do it again.
‘But the flight attendant did not accept that. The flight attendant told him that this was serious and that police had to be involved.
‘His friends also tried to come and ask for forgiveness on his behalf.
‘They asked me to let him go and forgive him, but the flight attendant told those who were not involved to leave because this was a police matter.
‘Later, I found out he came with a Pakistani tour group. He was travelling with friends or people from the same tour group, not with family.
‘There were around four or five people who came and tried to intervene, and there may have been more because they travelled as a group.
‘The flight attendant separated my child from the situation immediately. My daughter was taken away by the captain, so she would not see everything that happened.’
Police Lieutenant Colonel Chamnanyut Konkong of the Don Mueang district station said officers would attempt to arrange mediation between the two parties.
He said: ‘The suspect has been denied entry into Thailand. We have scheduled the complainant to be interviewed this morning.
‘He has not yet been investigated. The initial step will be to arrange a mediation between the two parties, as this is the normal procedure.’
Ms Pimpaporn said she intended to press charges and seek compensation.
She added that she decided to speak out to raise awareness about the risks faced by solo female travellers.
The mother said: ‘Passengers are often sleeping during long flights, and women travelling alone can be vulnerable.
‘This happened even though I was travelling with my child. I cannot imagine what could happen to someone travelling alone who is too afraid to speak up.
‘I want other women to know that they should not feel embarrassed. If something feels wrong, they should report it and ask for help.
‘I decided to tell my story because I do not want anyone else to experience what I experienced.’
The Daily Mail has contacted FlyDubai for a comment.
