DGCA bribery case: CBI arrests M Devula and Bharat Mathur over drone import approvals

The CBI arrested M Devula, Deputy Director General at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and Bharat Mathur of Asteria Aerospace Ltd in an alleged INR 250,000 bribery case. Investigators say the demand related to DGCA approvals and permissions for drone import applications for a private aerospace company. The case cites the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

The CBI said it arrested a senior DGCA official and a private executive in a Rs 2.5 lakh bribery case. Officials linked the alleged bribe to approvals for importing drones for a private aerospace company. The agency said the entire Rs 2.5 lakh was recovered during the operation. The arrests took place on Saturday, officials said Sunday.

Those held were M Devula, Deputy Director General at the Airworthiness Directorate, DGCA, and Bharat Mathur. The CBI said Mathur was linked to Asteria Aerospace Ltd, which works in drone technology. The agency booked Devula, Mathur and Asteria Aerospace Ltd under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

CBI bribery case linked to DGCA approvals for drone import

A CBI spokesperson said the DGCA public servant allegedly sought "undue advantage\" from private persons. The alleged demand was tied to issuing approvals and permissions for applications pending with the DGCA. The CBI also said it arrested a DGCA officer from the headquarters in New Delhi. A private company representative was arrested in the same case.

After the arrests, the CBI said it carried out searches at four locations in Delhi. The searches covered premises linked to the accused public servant and other private persons. The agency said it seized Rs 37 lakh in cash. It also recovered gold and silver coins, besides several digital devices.

CBI FIR details on DGCA bribery case and Asteria Aerospace

According to the CBI FIR, the case began after information from a reliable source. The source alleged Devula engaged in corrupt and illegal acts with private entities. The alleged acts related to DGCA approvals and permissions. The FIR said these approvals were linked to demands for undue advantage.

The FIR said Mathur contacted Devula on March 18 about certain pending applications. These applications concerned the import of drones for Asteria Aerospace Ltd, it added. Two days later, Devula allegedly asked how many applications were involved. The FIR said Mathur replied there were three applications linked to Asteria Aerospace Ltd.

The FIR stated that both sides agreed on a bribe rate per file. It said, \"It was settled among them that Rs five lakh per file has to be delivered as a bribe for processing the file for approval\". The alleged understanding was tied to clearing the pending applications. The CBI has not publicly named any other accused in this part.

CBI probe on DGCA bribery case and meeting timeline

As per the FIR, Mathur and Devula met on April 17. The FIR said Devula assured the work would be completed the same day. It also said a confirmation would be given by evening. The agency has treated the exchange as part of the alleged bribery arrangement.

The FIR also recorded a claimed plan for delivering money. It said, \"A source also informed that M Devula has asked Bharat Mathur to deliver the illegal gratification at Essex Farms, near IIT Delhi Flyover by the evening of 18.04.2026\". The CBI has cited this detail as part of its case record.

The CBI also noted links between Asteria Aerospace and a larger corporate group. It said the corporate group where Mathur worked was not named as an accused in the FIR. Asteria Aerospace’s 2024-25 financial statements list that group as the ultimate parent company. No immediate reaction was available from Asteria Aerospace or the corporate group.

With inputs from PTI