Indian Army Colonel Arrested In A Rs 50 Lakh Bribery Case : CBI

An Indian Army Colonel has been arrested for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 50 lakh, officials said on Tuesday. Neither the CBI nor the Indian Army has so far officially issued a statement on the arrest. Times Now has accessed the CBI FIR. Officials also did not say whether anyone else has been arrested or not in the case.CBI's FIR was filed by the AC-II unit of the CBI on May 18. The criminal case has been registered under sections related to criminal conspiracy and the Prevention of Corruption Act. In its FIR, the CBI mentioned that unknown officers could also be involved in the alleged bribery racket.Anti-corruption unit booked Colonel Himanshu Bali, posted at the Army Ordnance Corps, Fort William, along with Akshat Agarwal of M/s Eastern

Global Limited, Kanpur, his father Mayank Agarwal, Akshat's associate Ashutosh, a private individual Narender Pal, and unknown officials. The probe agency started the investigation based on source information and alleged that Colonel Bali, in connivance with a private contractor and other unknown persons, “indulged in corrupt practices and demanded bribes from Akshat and his firm.”“These favours include manipulation of tenders, approval of substandard samples, and clearance of pending, substandard and inflated bills,” the CBI FIR said.CBI investigation revealed that M/s Eastern Global Limited and its subsidiary firms are engaged in supplying items to defence establishments across India. Akshat Agarwal is involved in the operations of the firm.“Akshat Agarwal and his father Mayank Agarwal were maintaining regular contact with the Colonel for obtaining favours for their companies through illegal means in connivance with other unknown officials. It has been informed that multiple tenders were awarded to their firms by Eastern Command, Kolkata, in exchange for substantial bribes paid to Colonel Bali and other unknown officials,” the CBI FIR said.

How CBI trapped Colonel Bali

The probe agency in its FIR claimed that between March and April 2026, a tender was awarded to M/s Eastern Global Limited in lieu of payment of huge bribe amounts. In this regard, Akshat Agarwal and Colonel Himanshu Bali were allegedly in regular contact.“On April 22, both individuals met personally outside official working hours at Park Street, Kolkata, to discuss matters related to the said tender. Subsequently, on April 24, the tender was successfully awarded to M/s Eastern Global Limited as a result of alleged undue favour by Colonel Himanshu Bali,” the CBI FIR said.The CBI FIR further stated that the source revealed that on May 16, Colonel Himanshu Bali contacted Akshat Agarwal and reminded him about the pending bribe amount as per prior commitment, directing that it be delivered in the Delhi-NCR region.“Akshat Agarwal apologised and conveyed that he was facing cash constraints owing to the large amount involved. On the same day, Colonel Himanshu Bali allegedly contacted Ashutosh Shukla, driver and associate of Akshat Agarwal based in Delhi, and instructed him to ensure delivery of the bribe amount to Naresh Pal without fail,” the CBI FIR said.The CBI claimed that two days later, on May 18, Akshat Agarwal was making arrangements for delivery of approximately Rs 50 lakh to Naresh Pal in Delhi towards the remaining bribe amount allegedly payable to Colonel Himanshu Bali.The CBI said Akshat’s associate, Ashutosh Shukla, had to collect the amount in Chandni Chowk through hawala channels and deliver it to Naresh Pal.“The acts of public servants obtaining undue advantage in connivance with private individuals prima facie disclose commission of cognisable offences punishable under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018), and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023,” the CBI FIR said.