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Indian American pilot arrested at SFO airport
Rustom Bhagwagar of Florida was taken into custody by Contra Costa County Sheriff’s detectives with support from Homeland Security Investigations.
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Malvika Choudhary - Tue, 29, Jul 2025
- 16:09 EDT
- 54
Rustom Bhagwagar / Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office
An Indian-American Delta Airlines co-pilot was arrested inside the cockpit of a commercial jet shortly after it landed at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on July 26, in connection with a months-long child sex abuse investigation.
The suspect, identified as 34-year-old Rustom Bhagwagar of Florida, was taken into custody by Contra Costa County Sheriff’s detectives, with support from Homeland Security Investigations. The arrest took place while passengers were still aboard Delta Flight 2809, which had arrived from Minneapolis.
Also Read: 175 Indians in US prisons, 1 awaiting death penalty
According to the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, investigators began looking into the case in April 2025 after receiving a report involving sex crimes against a child. A Ramey arrest warrant was subsequently issued for Bhagwagar. He was reportedly residing in Florida at the time of his arrest and previously had ties to California.
After confirming Bhagwagar was scheduled to operate a flight into San Francisco, authorities coordinated a plan to intercept him upon arrival. He was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on five felony counts of oral copulation with a child under the age of 10 and is being held on $5 million bail.
Delta Airlines has suspended him from duty and is cooperating with law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
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