Indian Air hostess assaulted by intruder in London hotel room

Incident reportedly took place at Radisson Red hotel near Heathrow airport on Thursday night

An Air India hostess was assaulted by an intruder at her hotel near Heathrow airport in London last week, reports said.

Her colleagues in the adjacent room heard her cries for help and nabbed the intruder, The Indian Express reported. The incident allegedly took place at the Radisson Red hotel on Thursday night.

“The crew member was sleeping when an intruder attacked her in her room around 1.30am. Startled, she woke up and screamed for help. He attacked her with a clothes hanger and dragged her on the floor when she tried to escape towards the door,” an unnamed source was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

“The intruder was arrested.”

The Independent has reached out to Radisson Hotel Group for comment.

Air India confirmed the incident.

“We are deeply anguished by an unlawful incident of intrusion at a hotel, operated by a major international chain, that affected one of our crew members,” the airline said. “We are providing all possible support to our colleague and their broader team, including professional counselling.”

The airline said they were “working with the local police to pursue the matter to the fullest extent of the law, and with the hotel management to ensure such incidents are not repeated”.

“We request that the privacy of those involved is respected,” it said.

The air hostess suffered bruises and was taken to hospital, reports said. She returned to India shortly after.

“She was badly bruised and the intruder tried to escape,” unnamed airline sources told the Times of India. “The police were called in and she was taken to a hospital.”

The incident caused concern in India.

“What makes it even more galling is that the cabin crew had been repeatedly complaining about the lack of security in the hotel in London, inadequate lighting and the dark spaces in the London hotel,” Manish Tewari, member of parliament from the opposition Congress party, said, describing the incident as “disturbing”.