ONE of the wives of a business tycoon who threatened to gang rape an air hostess during a flight has appeared to defend her partner online.
Alarming video footage shows the moment Salman Iftikhar, 37, threatened Virgin Atlantic crew member Angie Walsh with harm at her hotel after their flight landed.
Iftikhar later threatened to blow up the five-star hotel where the cabin crew were set to stay.
He was finally caged for 15 months at Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday after admitting making threats to kill and racially aggravated harassment.
One of Iftikhar’s two wives has now posted a cryptic message appearing to defend her disgraced husband.
Supermodel and actress, Abeer Rizvi, 37, begged people to “be human” and understand the pain behind every person’s story.
Rizvi said on Instagram: “Mental health is not a joke. Behind every story there is pain you don’t see.
“Before judging, try understanding. Be kind. Be human.”
The popular Pakistani actress has over half a million followers on social media where she often shares clips of her husband.
But Iftikhar lives in the UK with another woman who is also the mother to his children.
Iftikhar, Erum Salman, 38, and their three children all live in a £2million six-bedroom home in Buckinghamshire.
The couple run a London-based staffing company that provides training to businesses working in customer service and manufacturing.
Salman and the children were all forced to watch on in horror during the flight from hell.
Iftikhar’s vile rant was spouted on an eight-hour flight from London Heathrow to Lahore, Pakistan, on February 7 2023.
Prosecutor Abdul Kapadia said Iftikhar was drinking champagne at the onboard bar and leant over to get his own ice.
He was heard saying: “When instructed to cease, the accused became agitated and started recording the cabin crew with his phone, telling them: ‘Don’t tell me what to do, you b***h.’
After being asked by the crew to go back to his seat, he responded with: ‘Don’t tell me what to do, you racist f***ing b***h. I’m aware of your location in Cardiff.’”
He continued to call Ms Walsh a “f***ing b***h” before his escalating behaviour sparked a possible flight diversion to Turkey.
Mr. Kapadia mentioned: “His wife was embarrassed. Their three children were also on the flight, and additional crew were called for support, yet the defendant kept yelling and using offensive language.”
“He was slurring his words, with his voice raised.”
The out-of-control passenger then told cabin crew he would blow up the floor of their hotel.
No action was taken against Iftikhar when he stepped off the aircraft in Pakistan.
He was only arrested at his expensive detached home in Iver after his holiday.
The judge also took into account Iftikhar’s six previous convictions, including a common assault – a record she described as “lengthy and appalling”.
Iftikhar was living a life of luxury before his jail stint.
He boasts a range of expensive cars on his driveway in Buckinghamshire including a Range Rover, Bentley and Rolls-Royce.
In one photo, he is seen posing in front of a royal blue Rolls-Royce kitted out with a white leather interior.
Other extravagant snaps show a number of his pricey motors parked outside the home of the Buckinghamshire property.
An anonymous neighbor of Iftikhar confided to the Daily Mail: “He’s undoubtedly quite flashy, someone fond of displaying his wealth.”
“His method of making money is unclear to me; he managed a recruitment consultancy, but I rarely saw him heading out for work. He was often just at home.”
Angie Walsh’s gut-wrenching impact statement
IN an impact statement, Angie Walsh said she was forced to take off 14 months and the altercation “changed my life enormously”.
“I can’t quite believe that one passenger has had this much of an impact on my, my job, my career and my life,” she said.
“I am a strong brave, happy stewardess, and loved my job. I am well known within the company.
“But I had to take 14 months off work.
“I have been flying with Virgin Atlantic for 37 years. I was working when all flights were grounded on 9/11, and I’ve even flown into a warzone. But this incident has broken me.
“But I don’t feel strong enough anymore. I was abused for eight hours and 15 mins. It has broken me. It was a very personal attack.
“I was doing everything in my power to protect passengers and the crew from him. I felt exposed and vulnerable, especially as we were 39,000 feet in the air. There was nowhere for me to go.
“There was one moment where I felt I could not cope. I went into the cockpit and had a meltdown. I said to the captain I don’t know what to do.
“I was traumatised by the threat of being gang raped. Never in my entire career flying for 37 years have I not been sure what to do.
“I have had the best career in the world for 37 years. But he has taken that away from me.”
“One thing he did like was cars. He owned a Bentley and Range Rover, but he’d also drive different cars on a temporary basis – usually expensive looking ones.”
The neighbour added that Iftikhar would sometimes come back in the night “revving the engine of his car and blaring music” after going out.
Another local said: “He’d usually tear down this road in a Range Rover or some other powerful car. He was a bit of a poser when it came to cars and his house.”
Despite his apparent wealth, a failed business venture left the recruitment boss millions of pounds in debt.
The business mogul previously owned an aviation recruitment business, however it went into administration owing more than £11million to HMRC and £6.885million to HSBC.
