In a troubling incident at Anchorage Airport, Alaska, Indian entrepreneur Shruti Chaturvedi was detained for eight hours by US authorities after a power bank in her luggage was flagged as suspicious. Chaturvedi, who is the founder of Indian Action Project and public relations firm Chaaipani, recounted the distressing experience on social media, calling it her “worst”.

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The episode, which has since gone viral, unfolded during a routine security check. According to Chaturvedi, the situation quickly escalated, with airport officials subjecting her to intense scrutiny. She was allegedly physically searched by a male officer on camera, stripped of her warm clothing, and confined to a cold room without access to a phone or restroom.

“Imagine being detained by Police and FBI for 8 hours… not allowed to use a restroom, or make a single phone call… all because the airport security found your power bank in handbag ‘suspicious’,” she wrote in a post on X, tagging India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the Ministry of External Affairs.

Chaturvedi had been documenting her trip to Alaska, including a visit to the Arctic Circle and sightings of the Northern Lights. She shared that the ordeal caused her to miss her flight and led to her luggage being confiscated, with authorities returning only a “frivolous duffle” bag.

In a follow-up post, she confirmed that she had waited until she left the US to share her experience, fearing further complications. “They let me and my friend go after 8 hours of nonsense and not finding anything,” she said, expressing frustration at how powerless Indians can feel when facing such situations abroad.

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The incident has sparked widespread concern on social media, with many calling for clearer protections and consular support for Indian travellers facing arbitrary treatment at foreign airports—especially in the wake of stricter US immigration and security policies.