India's aviation regulator ran a per-file pricing model for drone import approvals — ₹5 lakh each, three-file bundle deal at ₹15 lakh. The CBI found ₹37 lakh in cash plus gold and silver coins. Turns out the real drone was the bureaucrat hovering over the paperwork.
While India's leadership touts a drone revolution and makes sweeping policy speeches about unmanned aerial vehicles transforming agriculture, delivery, and defense, the DGCA's Deputy Director General Mudavath Devula was running a simpler operation: a toll booth. The CBI arrested Devula alongside Bharat Mathur, a Reliance Industries SVP, after a tip-off that they'd agreed on ₹5 lakh per file to process three drone import applications for Asteria Aerospace — a Jio Platforms subsidiary. Searches turned up ₹37 lakh in cash, plus gold and silver coins. Reliance quickly clarified that Mathur was merely a 'consultant' and they knew nothing about any transaction, which is exactly what you say when your consultant gets arrested mid-transaction. The DGCA, meanwhile, continues to regulate the skies — just with a cover charge.