He quoted the IPC sections to plead that the fine for the offence was only Rs 250, which he was willing to pay.

MUMBAI, March 14: An NRI who was taken into custody by the police on arrival at the airport for smoking on an Air India London-Mumbai flight refused to pay bail money and was sent to jail on Monday.

The accused, Ratnakar Dwivedi, who refused to pay the bail amount of Rs 25,000, told the Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate that he was ready to go to jail. He quoted the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections to plead that the fine for the offence was only Rs 250.

He was booked under Section 336 (for endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC. When he was caught smoking in the lavatory he began misbehaving and became aggressive, the crew said. They said they were alerted by a smoke alarm and had to open the lavatory. He had to be overpowered and his hands and legs tied up when he tried to open the emergency door and also tried to assault co-passengers. The incident happened on Friday on London-Mumbai flight AI130.

"A passenger on our flight AI130, operating London-Mumbai on March 10, was found smoking in the lavatory. Subsequently, he behaved in an unruly and aggressive manner, despite repeated warnings," Air India had said.

He was handed over to security personnel upon the flight's arrival in Mumbai, it said.

Ratnakar Dwivedi, 34, is an Indian-American holding US passport.

Earlier, a woman passenger on a Kolkata-Bengaluru Indigo flight 6E 716 was arrested for smoking in the plane's lavatory.

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