Serious child abuse: Delta co-pilot arrested from plane in San Francisco is Indian-origin Rustom Bhagwagar; other pilot had no idea
The Delta co-pilot who was dramatically arrested from the plane when the passengers were still on the plane after they landed at San Francisco International Airport Sunday is Indian-origin Ruston Bhagwagar. The 34-year-old pilot was taken into custody straight from the plane on charges of child sexual assault. The Boeing 757-300 touched down around 9.35 pm after a delayed second approach due to heavy fog. Enforcement officials from different agencies stormed the cockpit, handcuffed Bhagwagar, arrested him and walked him down the aisle. Another team came to take his personal belongings. While the dramatic arrest from the plane made headlines, the name of the accused was not released. Now it has been confirmed that the co-pilot is Florida’s Rustom Bhagwagar. The sudden arrest from the cockpit was shocking for Rustom’s co-pilot too who told the passengers that he had no idea about the arrest. The law enforcement officials, too, did not offer any explanation to either the passengers or the co-pilot. The co-pilot was not informed beforehand as that could have affected the landing of the plane and Rustom might have tried to escape had he come to know that police were waiting to arrest him as soon as he landed the plane. Bhagwagar, born December 15, 1990, was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on five felony counts of oral copulation with a child under 10 years of age. He is being held in lieu of $5 million bail. According to the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, Bhagwagar is a co-pilot for Delta Airlines. Officials added that the six-foot, three-inch, 220‑pound pilot is currently being housed at the West County Detention Center. They said the arrest was made because of an ongoing investigation that began with a report of “sex crimes against a child” made in April. Delta said in a statement that Bhagwagar had been suspended, pending investigation, and that the company is cooperating with law enforcement. “We are appalled by reports of the charges related to the arrest,” the airline said.
