Federal authorities say a man took his desires into his own hands in front of other passengers after he very aggressively and unsuccessfully tried to pick up a woman he was harassing on an international flight to Boston.

Krishna Kunapuli, 39, of India, is charged with lewd, indecent and obscene acts in U.S. airspace over the alleged show he put on about four hours into Monday's flight from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to Boston.

He made his first appearance in federal court in Boston on Tuesday afternoon before Judge David H. Hennessy, where he was told he had the right to inform the Indian consulate of his arrest and that an attorney had been appointed. A detention hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Thursday

It all started, the criminal complaint says, when Kunapuli showed a particular interest in a woman who was sitting alone in a three-seat middle section seven rows behind him on Etihad Airways Flight 7.

At some point, Kunapuli allegedly asked the woman if he could sit in one of the empty seats while he waited for a restroom to be available, the complaint states. The woman obeyed and he sat down, but quickly began talking about “her looks and telling her she was beautiful,” the complaint says, and asked her if they would stay with him in Boston for $5,000 would – and told her that he was a very wealthy man as he reached out and brushed her hair back with his fingers.

The woman said she had difficulty connecting to the plane's Wi-Fi, likely to alert a flight attendant that she was being accosted, the complaint says. Kunapuli allegedly followed her to the rear galley and continued to harass and touch her.

“Passenger 1 told KUNAPULI several times to step back and stop touching her hair, but he either completely ignored this or apologized but then began his actions again,” the complaint states. She told a crew member that they were not a couple and that Kunapuli was making unwanted advances, so the crew member asked them to return to their respective, separate seats.

Kunapuli obeyed, but was reportedly still sexually hung up and took matters into his own hands. The male passenger in the aisle seat in the Kunapuli section – the middle seat was empty – told a crew member that he saw movement under Kunapuli's blanket and that the man continued even after the blanket fell, revealing his actions. Another passenger in the center aisle seat to Kunapuli's right confirmed the same after waking up from his nap, the complaint said.

According to an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Jason Costello, a crew member went to review the complaints and confirmed the situation. The pilot called ahead and the FBI agent and members of the Massachusetts State Police were standing by at Logan International Airport to arrest Kunapuli.

Originally published: October 22, 2024 at 4:51 p.m