An Indian-origin Delta Air Lines co-pilot was arrested 10 minutes after his flight landed at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday, around 7:05 AM IST. Rustom Bhagwagar, 34, was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault.
As reported by NDTV, witnesses stated that 10 DHS agents boarded the plane as soon as it was parked at the airport gate, and the agents quickly took the pilot into custody. Authorities from the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department and agents with Homeland Security Investigations stormed into the cockpit immediately after the plane was parked. Delta Flight 2809, a Boeing 757-300, had arrived from Minneapolis. The arrest took place while passengers were still preparing to deplane.
Bhagwagar’s co-pilot said he was surprised by the arrest and had no prior knowledge about it. He was not informed due to concerns that he might alert the pilot, as agents wanted to apprehend him without giving him any chance of escape.
As revealed in a Facebook post by the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, detectives had been investigating since April 2025 after receiving a report of sex crimes against a child. An arrest warrant was later secured for the suspect.
Bhagwagar’s arrest was carried out after he was identified as a suspect in a case involving five counts of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 10. The co-pilot is now being held at Martinez Detention Facility with bail set at $5 million.
