Indian entrepreneur detained at US airport for 8 hours; body-checked by male officer over ¡®suspicious¡¯ power bank
An Indian entrepreneur was detained at Anchorage airport for 8 hours after her power bank was deemed suspicious. She was body-checked by a male officer, denied phone access and restroom, and missed her flight in the freezing interrogation.
Indian entrepreneur Shruti Chaturvedi has shared a deeply disturbing account of being held for eight hours at Anchorage airport in Alaska. As per her social media post a power bank in her bag was considered suspicious by airport security. What followed was a long series of humiliations, including being stripped of warm clothing, questioned by the FBI and police, and even physically checked by a male officer ¡ª all without being allowed a single phone call.
Power bank flagged as suspicious, rights denied
Chaturvedi, who founded India Action Project and Chaaipani, revealed that the incident started when security flagged her power bank. Despite this being a common item, she was taken aside for further checks. What shocked her most was being denied access to her phone and wallet and not being allowed to use the restroom during the hours of interrogation. She was also forced to wait in a cold room with her warm clothing taken away.
Strip-search and FBI questioning over a gadget
The entrepreneur described how the situation escalated further. A male officer physically checked her on camera, which she found particularly distressing. The FBI and local police questioned her over what she called ¡°ridiculous things,¡± and despite her requests, no phone call was allowed. Eventually, she missed her scheduled flight due to the prolonged detention.
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¡
¡ª Shruti Chaturvedi ?? (@adhicutting) April 8, 2025
Wider fears amid stricter US travel policies
Chaturvedi¡¯s experience sheds light on the growing pattern of discomfort among international travelers under the current US administration¡¯s tightening policies. Increased scrutiny has led to many being detained or questioned without clear cause. In her post she also tagged the Ministry of External Affairs which suggested that such treatment was not accidental but part of a broader issue.
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Nancy Jaiswal is a journalist who started her career in reporting and has covered both hard and soft news. From serious city news developments to lighthearted lifestyle pieces, she has written on almost everything hapenning in India (except maybe alien invasions¡ªyet!). For her, writing isn¡¯t just work; it¡¯s a passion, an obsession, and sometimes the reason she forgets to reply to texts.
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