Sexual assault case lodged against senior official of Thiruvananthapuram airport

Thiruvananthapuram: A sexual assault case has been lodged against a senior official of the Adani-run Thiruvananthapuram International Airport here, following which the company has suspended him from service.

Thumba police on Saturday registered a case against Chief Airport Officer (CAO), Madhusudana Rao, based on a complaint filed by a woman employee working under him.

Police said a case has been registered under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code including section 376 (Rape).

"As per the complaint, the incident happened on January 4. We have some evidence against him. The probe is on. However, the accused is not at his residence here and his phone is switched off," police told PTI.

According to the complaint, the accused invited the survivor to his apartment and attempted to molest her.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the airport issued a statement confirming that they received a complaint of sexual harassment from an employee and said the company has zero tolerance for such behaviour.

"We have received a complaint of sexual harassment by a Thiruvananthapuram airport employee. We have zero tolerance for such behaviour. The safety and well-being of every staffer is our top priority and we have taken this complaint very seriously. The employee has been immediately suspended from service," the spokesperson said.

The statement said the airport authority was thoroughly assessing the facts and would fully assist investigations.