India’s drone dream was supposed to be the shiny new future – Modi called it a “landmark moment,” mukesh ambani called it pure business gold. Turns out it was something far uglier. A cbi bribery bust has ripped the mask off Asteria Aerospace, the little-known reliance Industries unit now sitting at the centre of a sleazy cash-for-approvals racket that stinks of crony capitalism at its most rotten.


CBI just arrested officials from the aviation watchdog DGCA and reliance insiders, accusing them of straight-up bribery to fast-track drone import clearances. The alleged rate? A cool ₹5 lakh per file – three files, three bribes. When agents raided the DGCA official’s home, they didn’t find loose change. They found ₹37 lakh in cold cash plus gold and silver coins. Both sides are now booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

This is the same Asteria whose AT-15 drone was proudly strutted across the Republic Day 2026 parade – right there on the government’s biggest stage, Ambani’s ultimate branding flex. The numbers tell the rest of the ugly story: revenue rocketed from ₹1.1 crore in 2020 to ₹40 crore in 2024 – a jaw-dropping 36x jump after reliance snapped up the company for a bargain-basement $2.45 million. jio Platforms, which owns 74% of Asteria, was gearing up for a mumbai IPO. Then this bomb dropped.


And the mainstream media? Stone-cold silent. CNN-News18, CNBC-TV18, Moneycontrol – all owned by the same man whose company is now under the cbi scanner. When the guy at the centre of a bribery probe owns the channels that should be investigating him, you don’t get journalism. You get a blackout.


This isn’t a “business opportunity.” This is exactly how the system really works when the big boys play. And right now, india is watching the mask slip.
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Ambani Drone scam

SIBY JEYYA

27/04/2026 01:00 AM