BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – An Indian man was taken into custody this week after he was caught molesting an underage girl on a Royal Caribbean cruise, according to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.
In an affidavit, deputies said they were notified on Monday about the incident, which occurred on board the “Explorer of the Seas” while it was still out in international waters.
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Deputies added that they made contact with the girl, who claimed that she was waiting in the flow-rider area of the ship last week when the man — identified as 73-year-old Rajendra Sheth of Mumbai — approached her.
“The male began talking to her and grabbed her on her buttocks several times while she was wearing her two-piece bathing suit,” the affidavit reads.
Surveillance footage from the ship revealed the incident to investigators, who said they took Sheth into custody.
According to the BCSO, Sheth had admitted to Royal Caribbean security on a body-worn camera that he knew the girl was a minor and had touched her “backside.”
As a result, Sheth now faces a charge of lewd or lascivious conduct. He is held on bond of $35,000, and his next court date is scheduled for March 12.