Massachusetts doctor allegedly conducts lewd acts on flight from Honolulu to Boston

BOSTON (WWLP) – A doctor from Boston was arrested Thursday in connection with lewd acts on an aircraft traveling from Honolulu to Boston in 2022.

According to the Department of Justice, a 14-year-old girl was sitting next to 33-year-old Dr. Sudipta Mohanty on a Hawaiian Airlines Flight in May 2022 when he allegedly was masturbating and exposing himself.

The 14-year-old was traveling with her grandparents who were seated nearby. The charging documents state that the victim allegedly saw Mohanty with a blanket up to his neck and that his leg was bouncing. Then the blanket was on the floor, no longer covering him, and he was masturbating.

She then moved to an empty seat in a different row for the remainder of the flight. After arriving in Boston, she told members of her family, and law enforcement was notified.

Mohanty is charged with one count of lewd, indecent and obscene acts while in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States.

“What Dr. Mohanty is accused of doing in front of a fourteen-year-old girl is reprehensible,” said Christopher DiMenna, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Today’s arrest should make it crystal clear that the FBI takes crimes aboard aircraft seriously, everything from sexual misconduct as alleged in this case, to assault, interfering with the flight crew, and theft. If you’ve been the victim of a crime aboard an aircraft or have witnessed one take place, we ask you to report it to both your flight crew and the FBI.”

“Everyone, especially children, has the absolute right to not be exposed to lewd conduct when they are traveling,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “If you engage in the type of illicit behavior alleged here, you will be caught and held accountable wherever it happens.”

Mohanty is an internal medicine and primary care doctor with a practice in Boston. If convicted, He faces a sentence of up to 90 days in prison, up to one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5,000.