The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a deputy director general of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and a senior executive of a private company in a ₹2.5 lakh bribery case involving approvals for drone imports.
The CBI FIR identifies the private executive as Bharat Mathur, a senior vice-president at Reliance Industries Ltd and associated with Asteria Aerospace Ltd.
According to the FIR seen by HT, Mathur allegedly contacted DGCA official M Devula in March regarding pending applications for drone imports.
The CBI said the two were caught while the bribe was being exchanged on Sunday. Subsequent searches at Devula’s residence and other premises led to the recovery of ₹37 lakh in cash, besides gold, silver and multiple digital devices.
Asteria Aerospace counts Reliance Strategic Business Ventures Ltd, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries, as a majority shareholder.
The arrests come at a time when the DGCA is under heightened scrutiny following a series of crises in the civil aviation sector.
