Senior IPS Officer Overseeing Delhi Airport Security Arrested By CBI In Rs 3-Crore Bribery Case

Last Updated:July 01, 2026, 16:21 IST

The case revolves around an alleged demand of Rs 3 crore from Puducherry-based businessman N Raja in exchange for securing favourable outcomes in a CBI investigation.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested IPS officer Deepak Gahlawat, a 2012-batch officer serving as the Regional Director of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), Delhi Region, in connection with an alleged Rs 3-crore bribery conspiracy to influence an ongoing CBI investigation.

The arrest comes weeks after CNN-News18 first reported the matter on June 11, 2026, bringing the alleged corruption racket within the civil aviation security establishment into the spotlight.

According to the CBI’s FIR and court records accessed by CNN-News18, the case revolves around an alleged demand of Rs 3 crore from Puducherry-based businessman N Raja in exchange for securing favourable outcomes in a CBI investigation. Investigators allege that the IPS officer assured Raja and other accused that he could influence CBI officials using his personal connections.

The court documents state that meetings took place at the BCAS Regional Director’s office in Aerocity, New Delhi, where the alleged demand for Rs 3 crore was made. An advance payment of Rs 1.5 crore was allegedly sought.

The investigation further claims that Raja arranged Rs 1 crore through hawala channels. The money was allegedly received by Pradeep Kumar Singh, a former Crime Branch Inspector, through a hawala operator. Of this amount, investigators say Rs 50 lakh was handed over to an intermediary identified as Prabhat, who was allegedly known to the IPS officer, while another Rs 25 lakh was kept at Pradeep Singh’s residence.

During a CBI trap operation conducted on June 8, 2026, officials recovered Rs 24.70 lakh in cash from Pradeep Kumar Singh and co-accused Rajkumar.

The CBI subsequently registered an FIR under Sections 7, 7A, 8 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, along with Section 51(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, naming the IPS officer and several intermediaries in the alleged bribery network.

On June 9, 2026, Special Judge Sushant Changotra granted one-day police custody of Pradeep Kumar Singh and Rajkumar till June 10, observing that custodial interrogation was necessary to identify other public servants who may have been involved, trace the complete money trail, identify the ultimate beneficiaries of the alleged bribe, confront the accused with digital evidence, and recover further incriminating material linked to the IPS officer.

The IPS officer’s identity has also been recorded in the CBI’s observation-cum-recovery memo. With Gahlawat’s arrest, the investigation has entered a crucial phase as the CBI probes what appears to be a wider influence-peddling and corruption network involving public officials and intermediaries. The allegations remain under investigation, and the agency is expected to examine whether additional officials were part of the alleged conspiracy.

About the Author

Manoj Gupta

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

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