--- title: "Factbox-India's Asteria, the Reliance unit at the centre of a bribery scandal" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/283954844.md" description: "A bribery investigation by India's Central Bureau of Investigation has implicated Asteria Aerospace, a drone technology company owned by Reliance Industries. Officials from the aviation watchdog and Reliance were arrested for allegedly accepting bribes to facilitate drone import approvals. Despite the allegations, Reliance claims it was unaware of any wrongdoing. Asteria, which has seen significant revenue growth, provides drone services across various sectors and was acquired by Reliance in 2019. The case highlights the regulatory environment surrounding India's burgeoning drone industry, which has expanded since the liberalization of drone policies in 2021." datetime: "2026-04-24T07:43:59.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/283954844.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/283954844.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/283954844.md) --- # Factbox-India's Asteria, the Reliance unit at the centre of a bribery scandal NEW DELHI, April 24 (Reuters) - A bribery investigation by India's federal crime-fighting agency has put a spotlight on drone technology company Asteria Aerospace, a little-known unit of billionaire Mukesh ‌Ambani's Reliance Industries. The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested officials from India's aviation watchdog and Reliance ‌Industries earlier this week, alleging bribery payments to secure approvals for certain drone imports. Reliance has previously said it did not authorise ​nor was aware of any such transactions, while the lawyer for the aviation watchdog's official has opposed his custody. THE DRONES BUSINESS India's drone industry has been on a growth trajectory since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government liberalised the drone use policy in 2021. India currently has around 39,000 permitted drones, used for crop monitoring, ‌village surveys and other public initiatives. Asteria ⁠Aerospace describes itself as a drone technology company that provides "actionable intelligence from aerial data". It helps companies capture accurate data and conduct AI-based visualization through the use ⁠of geospatial imagery captured from drones, according to its website. Asteria provides services to agriculture, construction, telecom, and oil and gas sectors through the more than 400 drones it has deployed. Asteria's drone services to Reliance BP Mobility, for ​example, ​analysed traffic on roads and measured vehicle speeds to ​help finalise a site for a retail ‌outlet. FOUNDERS AND RELIANCE ACQUISITION The company was started in 2011 in India's technology hub Bengaluru by Nihar Vartak and Neel Mehta. In 2019, Reliance bought it in a $2.45 million deal. Reliance has said the acquisition was part of the group's initiative in emerging technologies. Reliance Jio Platforms, the group's digital unit, controls 74% of Asteria, data from March 2024 shows. Reliance Jio Platforms is also gearing up to launch an IPO, in ‌what could be the country's biggest-ever stock market offering. Asteria recorded ​a revenue surge from 11 million rupees ($117,000) in fiscal 2020 ​to 400 million rupees ($4.24 million) in fiscal ​2024. GOVERNMENT APPROVALS The Drone Rules 2021 mandate that an uncrewed aircraft system cannot operate ‌in India without a certificate. Asteria says it ​is the first Indian drone ​manufacturer to receive three types of certification from the aviation safety watchdog. Asteria said its indigenous drone AT-15 was showcased at the 77th Republic Day Parade earlier this year. In the bribery case, ​the police say they acted ‌following a tip-off that alleged the Reliance executive and the government official had settled on ​an amount of $16,000 to process three applications related to drone imports by Asteria Aerospace. (Reporting ​by Arpan Chaturvedi; Editing by Aditya Kalra and Tom Hogue) ### Related Stocks - [RELI.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/RELI.US.md) - [BP.UK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BP.UK.md) - [BP.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BP.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [FPIs cut stakes in HDFC Bank, Reliance since 2022; bet on Paytm, Eternal](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286744257.md) - [Datanomics: Vi's market share down 60%, subscriber base halves since merger](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286772442.md) - [Reliance Steel Shareholders Back Board, Pay and Auditor](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287256685.md) - [Reliance tells SC unjust enrichment claim flawed in KG basin dispute](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287241672.md) - [$1000 Invested In MasTec 10 Years Ago Would Be Worth This Much Today](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287120544.md)