CBI Arrests Deputy Director General and Corporate Executive Civil Aviation in Drone Import Bribery Case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Mudavath Devula, Deputy Director General at the Airworthiness Directorate of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), along with Bharat Mathur, Senior Vice President of a major corporate group and associated with Asteria Aerospace Ltd., in an alleged bribery case involving Rs.2.5 lakh.

The arrests followed a trap operation conducted on Saturday after the CBI received specific information. According to the agency, Devula allegedly demanded undue advantage from private parties to expedite approvals and permissions for drone import applications pending with the DGCA’s Airworthiness Directorate. The entire bribe amount of Rs.2.5 lakh was recovered during the operation.

The FIR also mentions allegations of demands up to Rs.5 lakh per file in some instances. Bharat Mathur was arrested as the representative who allegedly facilitated the bribe on behalf of the private company.

Following the arrests, the CBI carried out searches at four locations in Delhi, recovering approximately Rs.37 lakh in cash, along with gold and silver coins, and multiple digital devices. The accused, including Asteria Aerospace Ltd., have been booked under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

The CBI stated that further investigation is underway to determine the full extent of the alleged irregularities in the drone import approval process.