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News18
4 days ago
- News18
'Before Judging...': Wife Of Pakistani Man, Who Threatened To Rape Air Hostess, Defends Him
Last Updated: Salman Iftikhar was jailed for 15 months for threatening to rape Virgin Atlantic flight attendant. His supermodel wife, Abeer Rizvi, defended him, citing his mental health issues. Days after a Pakistan-origin man was jailed for issuing rape threats to a Virgin Atlantic flight attendant, his supermodel wife defended him on social media. Abeer Rizvi blamed her husband Salman Iftikhar's mental health issues for his abusive behaviour towards the Virgin Atlantic flight attendant during an eight-hour flight in 2023, according to a report in New York Post. Taking to Instagram, Rizvi wrote on Thursday, 'Mental health is not a joke. Behind every story, there's pain you don't see." 'Before judging, try understanding. Be kind. Be human," she further wrote. Iftikhar, the founder and director of Staffing Match, a UK-based recruitment company, is married to both Rizvi and Erum Salman, according to the Daily Mail. Rizvi resides in Pakistan, where she operates a salon and posts glitzy photos of herself on social media to her half-million followers on TikTok and Instagram. What Happened On Flight? A father of three and husband to two wives, Iftikhar was travelling in the first-class section on February 7, 2023 when he became enraged after being asked to stop taking ice from the onboard bar. Iftikhar, who had been consuming champagne as he travelled with his wife Erum Salman and their three children, verbally abused and threatened a flight attendent saying she would be dragged out of her hotel room, gang raped and set on fire. The entire incident was captured on camera by a co-passenger. The video showed Iftikhar accusing the flight attendant of being a racist. In the video, he was heard saying, 'You called me a Pa-i in front of everybody." When cabin crew asked him to return to his seat, Iftikhar replied, 'Don't tell me what to do you racist f—ing b–ch. I know where you are from in Cardiff." Iftikhar was sentenced to 15 months in prison for his outburst on Tuesday during a hearing at Isleworth Crown Court. The 37-year-old was arrested a year later after the incident, on March 16, 2024 at his home in Iver in England's Buckinghamshire. The victim, who was present in the court during the hearing, said: 'I am a strong, brave, happy stewardess, and loved my job… I was working when all flights were grounded on 9/11, and I've even flown into a warzone. But this incident has broken me." About the Author Manisha Roy First Published:
News18
5 days ago
- News18
Who Is Salman Iftikhar? Pakistani Businessman Jailed Over Rape Threat To Air Hostess
Salman Iftikhar, a Pakistan-origin businessman in London, was sentenced to 15 months for abusing a Virgin Atlantic flight attendant. He has a criminal record spanning two decades. Salman Iftikhar is a Pakistan-origin businessman based in London who hit headlines two years ago for his abusive behaviour towards a Virgin Atlantic flight attendant during a first-class flight from London Heathrow to Lahore. He was recently sentenced to 15 months in prison in connection with the incident. According to his LinkedIn profile, Iftikhar (37) is the founder and director of Staffing Match, a UK-based recruitment company. Media reports describe him as leading a lavish lifestyle, residing in a £2 million home and owning a fleet of luxury vehicles. The court was told that Iftikhar has a criminal record spanning over two decades, with six previous convictions related to 15 offences, according to a report in NDTV. These offences include a common assault charge in 2004 and a drink-driving conviction in 2008. Further, in 2021, he was fined £3,000 after being caught driving his Rolls-Royce under the influence of alcohol and cannabis. NDTV, citing local reports, mentioned Iftikhar reportedly wore a grey suit paired with a pink shirt and yellow tie during his court appearance. He broke down in tears as he was sentenced to 15 months in jail. A father of three and husband to two wives, Iftikhar was travelling in the first-class section on February 7, 2023 when he became enraged after being asked to stop taking ice from the onboard bar. Iftikhar, who had been consuming champagne as he travelled with his wife Erum Salman and their three children, verbally abused and threatened a flight attendent saying she would be dragged out of her hotel room, gang raped and set on fire. The entire incident was captured on camera by a co-passenger. The video showed Iftikhar accusing the flight attendant of being a racist. In the video, he was heard saying, 'You called me a Pa-i in front of everybody." When cabin crew asked him to return to his seat, Iftikhar replied, 'Don't tell me what to do you racist f—ing b–ch. I know where you are from in Cardiff." Isleworth Crown Court heard the case as Prosecutor Abdul Kapadia said Iftikhar's behaviour even forced the cabin crew to discuss diverting the plane to Turkey, the report further mentioned. However, the plane was not diverted and landed in Pakistan. The 37-year-old was arrested a year later, on March 16, 2024 at his home in Iver in England's Buckinghamshire. As per prosecutor Abdul Kapadia, Iftikhar knew the specific hotel, but also the hotel room numbers, and threatened the cabin crew. 'He told [the stewardess]: 'You will be dead on the floor of your hotel'." 'You will be dragged by your hair from your room and gang raped and set on fire," Kapadia said, citing Iftikhar. The victim, who was present in the court during the hearing, said: 'I am a strong, brave, happy stewardess, and loved my job… I was working when all flights were grounded on 9/11, and I've even flown into a warzone. But this incident has broken me." view comments Location : London, United Kingdom (UK) First Published: August 07, 2025, 16:41 IST News world Who Is Salman Iftikhar? Pakistani Businessman Jailed Over Rape Threat To Air Hostess Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
NDTV
5 days ago
- NDTV
Who Is Salman Iftikhar, Pakistani Businessman Jailed For Threatening To Rape Flight Attendant
Salman Iftikhar is a Pakistani businessman based in London who made headlines in 2023 for his abusive behaviour towards a Virgin Atlantic flight attendant while flying first class from London Heathrow to Lahore in February. Iftikhar was recently sentenced to 15 months in jail. Who Is Salman Iftikhar? He is the director and founder of Staffing Match, a recruitment firm, his LinkedIn profile revealed. Media reports have claimed that he lives a luxurious life in London with a £2 million house and a fleet of expensive cars. Here's wealthy recruitment consultant Salman Iftikhar hurling death threats and racist abuse after champagne binge on an eight hour first class flight. His wife and three children were on the plane with him. — CourtNewsUK (@CourtNewsUK) August 5, 2025 The court heard that Iftikhar has six previous convictions arising from 15 offences, including common assault in 2004 and drink driving in 2008. According to a report by the Standard, he was also fined £3,000 in 2021 after he was caught drink driving, as well as being under the influence of cannabis in his Rolls-Royce in 2021. Local reports suggest that he appeared in the dock wearing a grey suit with a pink shirt and yellow tie. He was weeping as he was jailed for 15 months. What Exactly Happened On Flight? Iftikhar was flying with his wife and three children when he told crew member Angie Walsh that she would be dragged out of her hotel room, gang raped and set alight. Iftikhar's outburst began after he was asked to stop taking ice with his bare hands at the in-flight bar, and he went on to accuse the crew of racism, shouting expletives, and making violent threats. The entire incident was captured by a co-passenger. The video showed Iftikhar accusing Ms Walsh of being a racist. He said, "You called me a Pa-i in front of everybody." On being asked to return to his seat, Iftikhar told cabin crew: "Don't tell me what to do you racist f---ing b--ch. I know where you are from in Cardiff." Isleworth Crown Court heard the case as Prosecutor Abdul Kapadia said Iftikhar's behaviour even forced the cabin crew to discuss diverting the plane to Turkey. However, the plane had landed in Pakistan. But he was not arrested immediately. He was arrested on March 16, 2024, at his home in Iver, Buckinghamshire. The Prosecutor said that his wife was "ashamed" and his three children "were also on board". Iftikhar was "slurring his words" as he got up from his seat and "grabbed Ms Walsh's hand" and called her a "f---ing white Welsh c---". "The defendant also threatened to blow up the floor of the Avari Lahore Hotel, where the cabin crew were due to stay," Kapadia added. During the altercation, Iftikhar shouted Walsh would be "dragged by [her] hair" and "gang raped and set on fire". He said that she would "be dead on the floor of [her] hotel" and added "the white sheep sh---ing b---h will be dead. The floor of [her] hotel will be blown up and it will disappear". Mental Trauma To Walsh Walsh was left traumatised and took 14 months off work to recover from the incident. She said, "I feel like what happened that day has changed my life enormously. I can't quite believe that one passenger has had this much of an impact on my, job, my career and my life. I am a strong, brave, happy stewardess, and loved my job. I am well known within the company." "I have been flying with Virgin Atlantic for 37 years. I was working when all flights were grounded on 9/11, and I've even flown into a warzone. But this incident has broken me."
