Indian Businessman, 44, Convicted of Raping 15-Year-Old on Flight from Mumbai to Switzerland

A 44-year-old Indian businessman has been convicted of raping a 15-year-old girl during a nine-hour flight from Mumbai to Zurich in Switzerland.

The incident, which occurred in March 2025, sparked outrage across Europe and prompted renewed scrutiny of in-flight safety protocols and sentencing standards for sexual offences.

The Bülach District Court in Switzerland convicted the Indian businessman whose name has not been made public, as under Swiss law and international child protection standards, defendants in cases involving minors are not identified to prevent the indirect identification of victims.

Despite admitting to the crime, he was freed after receiving a suspended 18-month sentence, with time already served taken into account.

Assault Occurred Mid-Air

The businessman was travelling to Belgium on a business trip when he committed the crime. Seated next to the teenage girl, he engaged in a brief, superficial conversation before she fell asleep.

According to an indictment filed by the Zurich Public Prosecutor's Office for Serious Violent Crime, the man then began touching her repeatedly and placed his arm around her.

As the girl continued to sleep with her head and upper body under a blanket, the man carried out the assault. The victim reportedly went into a state of shock, unable to speak or move, and endured the abuse until the perpetrator stopped of his own accord.

Cabin Crew Intervention and Arrest at Zurich Airport

Swiss Airlines confirmed that the girl alerted a crew member shortly after the incident. She was immediately moved away from the man and cared for by the staff. A cabin crew member was assigned to monitor the suspect for the remainder of the flight.

Upon landing at Zurich Airport, Swiss police were waiting. The man was arrested on the spot and taken into custody. He later confessed to the attack in the Court, stating that he 'realised he had made a mistake' and admitted that the girl had not consented. He also acknowledged that he knew she was young, though he claimed he did not know her exact age.

Conviction and Controversial Sentencing

The businessman was convicted of rape and sexual acts with a child. However, the court handed down a suspended sentence of one and a half years, citing the fact that the man had already been held in custody since March. He will not serve additional jail time.

The judge described the sentence as 'barely appropriate,' and the decision has drawn criticism from legal experts and child protection advocates.

In addition to the suspended sentence, the man has been banned from entering Switzerland for a period of five years. He is prohibited from engaging in any activity involving regular contact with minors for life.

The court also ordered the man to pay legal costs totalling approximately CHF 9,000 (£8,250). A confiscated sum of CHF 1,360 (£1,247) will be used to offset these expenses.

Legal Reform: 'No Means No' Amendment

The conviction comes in the wake of Switzerland's recent legal reform, which enshrined the principle of 'no means no' into law. Under the amendment, rape is now defined as any sexual act where the victim expresses non-consent through words or gestures, even in the absence of physical resistance or threats.

This change broadened the legal definition of rape to include acts involving physical penetration beyond traditional intercourse and recognises psychological states such as shock as valid indicators of non-consent.

Public Reaction and Calls for Accountability

The leniency of the sentence has provoked widespread backlash, with many questioning whether justice was adequately served.

Advocacy groups have called for stricter sentencing guidelines and better protections for minors travelling alone or with limited supervision.

Child protection groups and legal experts criticised the decision as too lenient, arguing it risks undermining public confidence in sentencing standards.

Swiss Airlines has reiterated its commitment to passenger safety and praised its crew for their swift response. 'A cabin employee then observed him continuously,' airline spokeswoman Exer-Kuhn confirmed to Blick, adding that the staff acted under protocol to protect the victim.

Following the trial, the man was released from custody and handed over to the Swiss Migration Office for deportation.