A Delta Airlines co-pilot was arrested just 10 minutes after his flight landed at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday at approximately 7:05 am IST. The accused, 34-year-old Rustom Bhagwagar, was taken into custody on charges related to child sexual assault. The arrest took place moments after Delta Flight 2809, a Boeing 757-300 arriving from Minneapolis, reached the gate. According to reports by USA Today, the dramatic arrest occurred while passengers were still preparing to deplane.
Agents from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), alongside personnel from the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department, boarded the aircraft and headed straight for the cockpit. Witnesses described a team of at least 10 federal agents rushing up the aisle, displaying badges and carrying firearms, as they apprehended Bhagwagar in front of stunned passengers.
One passenger 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 and markings, where they cuffed the co-pilot before leading him away." Bhagwagar’s co-pilot expressed shock, saying he had no prior knowledge of the arrest. Authorities reportedly chose not to inform the co-pilot in advance to prevent any possibility of Bhagwagar being tipped off, as the arrest was planned to happen without giving him a chance to flee.
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The Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office stated in a Facebook post that an investigation had been going on since April 2025 after a child sex crime report. When there is probable cause for an arrest, detectives subsequently obtained a Ramey arrest warrant, which is normally issued prior to formal charges being filed.
Bhagwagar was identified as the suspect in a disturbing case involving five counts of oral copulation with a child under the age of 10. He is currently being held at the Martinez Detention Facility, and his bail has been set at $5 million. Delta Airlines responded to the incident in a statement shared with CBS News, saying, “Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful conduct and will fully cooperate with law enforcement.” The airline added, “We are appalled by reports of the charges related to the arrest, and the individual in question has been suspended pending an investigation.”
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