A federal jury in the United States has convicted Varun Arora, an Indian national living in the country without authorization, for sexually assaulting a fellow traveler onboard a domestic flight from Rhode Island to Washington D.C. in August 2024. The case highlighted the distressing nature of the assault, wherein Arora ignored the victim’s pleas to stop his advances.

A federal jury in the United States has convicted an Indian national on charges of abusive sexual contact and assault after an incident aboard a domestic flight, according to the US attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Varun Arora, 38, who is present in the US without lawful status, was found guilty of sexually assaulting a fellow passenger during a flight in August 2024. He faces a maximum sentence of up to two years in prison when sentencing is held on May 7. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, the incident occurred on August 29, 2024, during the final approach of a flight from Rhode Island TF Green international airport to Ronald Reagan Washington national airport. A passenger awoke to find Arora sexually groping her. Prosecutors said Arora was wearing a sleep mask and pretended to be asleep while continuing to place his hand on the victim, despite her repeatedly removing it. The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington field office. The prosecution was led by special assistant US attorney Madison Mumma and assistant US attorney Russell L Carlberg.A federal district court judge will determine Arora’s sentence after considering the US sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors, officials said.