A Delta Air Lines pilot was taken into custody by federal agents on child sex charges shortly after landing at the San Francisco International Airport on Saturday, reportedly leaving both passengers and the plane’s lead pilot stunned.
Rustom Bhagwagar, 34, of Florida was arrested around 9:35 p.m. on five counts of oral copulation with a child under 10 years of age, the Department of Homeland Security said Monday night.
Bhagwagar had been under investigation since April by detectives with the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff Investigation Division, located northeast of San Francisco, after a report of sex crimes against a child was received, DHS said.
He was taken into custody by Sheriff’s Office detectives, with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations, and is being held on $5 million bail, authorities said.
A Homeland Security spokesperson previously told HuffPost that he was arrested on charges of child sexual abuse material.
A Delta spokesperson told HuffPost that the company has “zero tolerance for unlawful conduct” and that it will fully cooperate with law enforcement.
“We are appalled by reports of the charges related to the arrest and the individual in question has been suspended pending an investigation,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Flight 2809 from Minneapolis had just landed at the airport when agents entered the plane, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
“A group of people with badges, guns, and different agency vests/markings were pushing their way up through the aisle to the cockpit,” a passenger, who had been seated in first class, told the outlet in an email.
Another passenger, only identified as Sarah, said she counted at least 10 agents.
“They barged through and stormed the cockpit,” she told ABC San Francisco affiliate KGO. “They removed the co-pilot, cuffed him, presumably arrested him, and brought him back down the aisle to deplane.”
Passengers reportedly weren’t told what had just happened, and the remaining pilot also told passengers that he had “no idea what just happened,” according to the Chronicle.
Video shared by the aviation blog View From The Wing appears to show federal agents leaving the plane’s cockpit moments after the pilot’s arrest.
One of Homeland Security Investigations’ priorities is combating the sexual exploitation of children.
“Anyone who commits depraved crimes against a child, including U.S. citizens, will face consequences,” Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for DHS, said in a statement.
