CBI Nabs DGCA Officer, Corporate VP in Drone Import Bribery Case

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Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested Bharat Mathur, a senior vice president of a corporate group and a deputy director general of civil aviation, in a Rs 2.5 lakh bribery case linked to drone imports. Mathur was arrested on Saturday along with Mudavath Devula, deputy director general at the Airworthiness Directorate of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), headquarters in New Delhi.According to the agency, the DGCA official allegedly sought undue advantage from private individuals in exchange for clearing applications related to a private aerospace company.

"The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Deputy Director General at the Airworthiness Directorate, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Headquarters, New Delhi along with a representative of a private company in a bribery case of Rs. 2.5 Lakhs resulting in the seizure of the entire amount," the CBI said in a statement. "The CBI registered the instant case on 18.04.2026 against an official of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) along with representative of a private company based in New Delhi on allegation that the accused public servant of DGCA demanded undue advantage from the private persons in lieu of issuing approvals and permissions of applications pending with DGCA," it added.

The CBI said searches were conducted at multiple locations linked to the accused public servant and other private individuals in Delhi. During the raids, officials recovered cash worth Rs 37 lakh, along with gold and silver coins and several digital devices, the statement added."Investigation of the case is continuing," it said.