Detained, Stripped, Checked by Male Officer: Indian Woman’s Ordeal at US Airport

In a troubling travel experience that has sparked concern, Indian entrepreneur Shruti Chaturvedi has come forward with claims of being detained for eight hours at a US airport. She stated that a male officer “physically checked” her after airport security considered a power bank in her luggage “suspicious.”

In a post shared on X earlier today, Chaturvedi recounted what she described as the “worst” experience at Anchorage airport in Alaska. She revealed that she was stripped of her warm clothing, left waiting in a cold room, interrogated by both the police and the FBI, and not allowed to make a phone call — all because of a power bank found in her handbag.

Chaturvedi, who founded India Action Project and Chaaipani, shared that she wasn’t allowed to use the restroom and ended up missing her flight. Her phone and wallet were also confiscated during the ordeal. She later expressed her frustration on social media over the way she was treated.

Imagine being detained by Police and FBI for 8 hours, being questioned the most ridiculous things, physically checked by a male officer on camera, stripped off warm wear, mobile phone, wallet, kept in chilled room, not allowed to use a restroom, or make a single phone call, made…

— Shruti Chaturvedi 🇮🇳 (@adhicutting) April 8, 2025

“Imagine being detained by Police and FBI for 8 hours, being questioned the most ridiculous things, physically checked by a male officer on camera, stripped off warm wear, mobile phone, wallet, kept in chilled room, not allowed to use a restroom, or make a single phone call, made to miss your flight - all because the airport security found your powerbank in handbag ‘suspicious,’” she wrote on X.

“I don’t have to imagine, already past the worst 7 hours. And we all know why,” Chaturvedi added, tagging the Ministry of External Affairs.