32-year-old man booked for abusive social media posts about Bengaluru police, mid-air misconduct

A 32-year-old man is arrested for abusive social media posts and mid-air misconduct involving Bengaluru police and Indigo Airlines.

The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) police registered a case against a 32-year-old man for allegedly posting abusive and misleading content about Bengaluru City Police on social media, while also being involved in unruly behaviour on a flight.

According to police, the incident came to light on March 23 during routine social media monitoring. It was found that a X user with the handle @Utkarshgautam96 had posted abusive remarks targeting Bengaluru City Police, including a tweet that read, ‘@MumbaiPolice Please arrest @BlrCityPolice bastards’.

Further inquiry revealed that the accused, identified as Utkarsh Gautam, had also posted content on Instagram allegedly making derogatory remarks about the police and falsely claiming that he was illegally detained at the Kempegowda International Airport police station.

Earlier on March 22, a separate complaint was filed by Indigo airlines staff regarding Gautam’s behaviour on board flight 6E373 (Jaipur–Bengaluru). He allegedly attempted to open the aircraft’s rear safety door (AFT L2) mid-air and misbehaved with cabin crew, using abusive language when questioned. Based on the complaint, a case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 351(2) and 352.

The accused was detained by KIA police in Bengaluru and later handed over to the jurisdictional police for further legal action. The police questioned him at the station and cross checked his background before registering a non-cognisable case.

Police stated that Gautam spread false information on social media claiming illegal detention by airport police, further aggravating the incident.