A Delta Airlines co-pilot was arrested 10 minutes after his flight landed at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday at around 7:05 am IST. Rustom Bhagwagar, 34, was taken into custody on charges of child sexual assault.
Authorities with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department and agents with Homeland Security Investigations stormed the cockpit shortly after Delta Flight 2809, a Boeing 757-300, arrived from Minneapolis. The arrest took place while passengers were still preparing to deplane, according to USA Today.
Witnesses say at least 10 DHS agents boarded the plane as soon as it parked at the gate and took the pilot into custody.
One of the passengers told the San Francisco Chronicle, “The officers and agents were pushing their way up through the aisle and into the cockpit with badges, guns, and different agency vests/markings, where they cuffed the co-pilot before leading him away.”
Bhagwagar’s co-pilot said that he was surprised and had no idea about his arrest. He wasn’t made aware of the arrest because of concern that he might inform Bhagwagar, as the agents wanted to arrest him without any chance for him to escape.
According to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Facebook post, the detectives 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.
Bhagwagar’s arrest comes after he was identified as a suspect in a case involving five counts of oral copulation with a child under the age of 10 in April. He is currently being held at the Martinez Detention Facility with a bail set at $5 million.
Delta Airlines, in a statement obtained by CBS News, said, “Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful conduct and will fully cooperate with law enforcement,” adding, “We are appalled by reports of the charges related to the arrest and the individual in question has been suspended pending an investigation.”
