Indian-origin pilot arrested from cockpit at San Francisco airport

An Indian-origin pilot was arrested aboard a Delta Air Lines flight in the US, and federal agents took him into custody from the cockpit after the plane landed at San Francisco International Airport.

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The pilot, identified as 34-year-old Rustom Bhagwagar of Florida, was arrested on Saturday (July 26) on charges relating to child sexual abuse material, an official with the Department of Homeland Security said Monday.

Arrest videos posted online

Passengers aboard the flight from Minneapolis to San Francisco on Saturday posted video online showing federal agents walking through the aisle of the plane.

In a statement, the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department said detectives boarded the plane to arrest Bhagwagar. Local media reports, quoting eyewitnesses, said the detectives “stormed the cockpit, cuffed the co-pilot, and arrested him”.

“At about 9:35 PM, Sheriff's Office detectives, with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations, boarded the plane to arrest the suspect who is identified as 34-year-old Rustom Bhagwagar of Florida. He was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on five counts of oral copulation with a child under 10 years of age. He is being held in lieu of $5 million bail,” Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department said.

Investigation ongoing

“Through the investigation, it was learned that the suspect was an airline pilot and that he was due to fly into San Francisco International Airport on the evening of Saturday, July 26, 2025,” it added.

Detectives from the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff Investigation Division have been conducting an investigation since April 2025 after receiving a report of sex crimes against a child. A Ramey arrest warrant was later secured for the suspect, the Contra Costa County Office said.

The investigation is ongoing, it added.