A 26-year-old Indian national was arrested and charged with two counts of abusive sexual contact aboard a cruise ship, according to a press release by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.
The man, Pranit Narayan Pawar, worked as a hairstylist aboard Virgin Voyages’ Brilliant Lady. Pawar began offering massages to women who came in for hair appointments, a service outside his normal job description. According to the press release, Pawar moved the victims into a room next to the hair salon where he sexually assaulted at least two women. Pawar “allegedly moved his hands under the victims’ shirts and onto their breasts” during the massages.
Pawar stated he took “four or five” women into the separate room for massages, according to the criminal complaint. The complaint states the reported sexual assaults occurred on June 26, 2026 while the Brilliant Lady was several days into its voyage.
Pawar was arrested less than a week later on July 2 when the Brilliant Lady finished its voyage in Seattle. Federal agents boarded the ship and interviewed Pawar who admitted he “massaged the breasts” of three women, according to the criminal complaint. Pawar stated he “feels guilty for his mistakes, totally regrets his actions, and can see how his behavior would be harassing.”
Abusive sexual contact is punishable by up to two years in prison, according to prosecutors.
The FBI has jurisdiction of the case since the alleged incident occurred in international waters and the ship sailed to and from U.S. ports.
This is a notably swift arrest made by the FBI and should be the standard when a crime occurs during a cruise voyage. Too many criminals are allowed to walk off of cruise ships and avoid facing consequences for months to years.
Foreign crew members are particularly difficult to arrest once let off a cruise ship and often can avoid facing charges altogether. Early in June, a former Royal Caribbean crew member pleaded guilty to raping a child 23 years ago.
A Virgin Voyages spokesperson said in a statement to PEOPLE that the incident “is a profound violation of the trust and standards every person working onboard a Virgin Voyages ship is expected to uphold.” Furthermore, Virgin Voyages said Pawar was employed by a third-party concessionaire service on the ship.
Regardless of Pawar’s employer, Virgin Voyages is strictly liable if he sexually assaulted passengers during the voyage, and the passengers he assaulted are entitled to compensation from Virgin Voyages for the damages they suffered.
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