Delta Airlines Copilot Arrested for Alleged Child Sexual Abuse Material

12:06 PM PT -- A rep for the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ ... detectives identified the Delta copilot as Rustom Bhagwagar, saying they've been in the throes of an investigation since April 2025 after receiving information about sex crimes against a child. Police took out an arrest warrant for Bhagwagar and got tipped off that he was flying into San Francisco International Airport last night.

With the help of federal authorities, Contra Costa investigators met the plane at the Delta terminal and arrested Bhagwagar on the spot. Bhagwagar was taken to the county jail and booked on five counts of oral copulation with a child under 10 years of age. He is being held on $5 million bail.

A Delta Airlines copilot went from the cockpit to federal custody after he was arrested shortly after he landed a commercial airliner in California.

It all went down around 9:30 PM Saturday ... the copilot flew the packed jet from Minneapolis to San Francisco International Airport, where he landed and parked at one of the gates.

Moments later, federal agents stormed the aircraft with guns and badges, heading straight for the cockpit.

Check out video of the show of force reportedly by 10 federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations and other government agencies.

Fox News Channel's Bill Melugin, citing a senior federal source, reported the copilot was detained for allegedly handling child abuse material. His name was not released.

One passenger told the San Francisco Chronicle ... the agents pushed their way through the aisle to the cockpit, where they placed the copilot in cuffs and escorted him off the plane through "cabin doors located between first and coach."

The passenger also said another team of agents came aboard the plane to collect the copilot's belongings.