A senior Indian Army officer posted at Fort William, now officially known as Vijay Durg, has been arrested by the CBI in a major bribery and defence tender corruption case. The agency alleges that Colonel Himanshu Bali accepted nearly ₹50 lakh in bribes to influence military contracts and favour a private company in multiple procurement deals linked to the Eastern Command headquarters in Kolkata.
The arrest has triggered fresh concerns over corruption within defence procurement systems. Colonel Himanshu Bali, attached to the Army Ordnance Corps under Eastern Command, is accused of manipulating tender approvals, clearing questionable bills and helping a Kanpur-based company secure contracts in exchange for illegal payments.
The CBI registered an FIR on May 18 and launched a detailed investigation into the alleged bribery network operating around defence supply contracts at Fort William. Investigators claim Bali played a central role in granting undue advantages to a private contractor.
According to the FIR, Bali allegedly approved substandard product samples and cleared pending as well as inflated bills to benefit a Kanpur-based businessman, Akshat Agarwal, and his company Eastern Global Limited.
The central agency has also named Akshat Agarwal and his father Mayank Agarwal in the case. The FIR states that both maintained regular contact with the Army officer to illegally secure favourable treatment for their company in military tenders floated by Eastern Command.
CBI officials suspect that Eastern Global Limited received relaxations and advantages in several tender processes in Kolkata. In return, large amounts of money were allegedly paid as bribes to Bali and others linked to the procurement chain.
Investigators further revealed that during March and April this year, Akshat Agarwal had approached Bali regarding a fresh tender. The two reportedly met at Park Street in Kolkata on April 22 to discuss the contract. Just two days later, the company allegedly secured the work order.
The probe has also uncovered a suspected hawala transaction linked to the case. According to the CBI, Akshat delivered the bribe amount through hawala channels to one of Bali’s associates in Delhi on Monday.
Officials believe the alleged arrangement was not limited to a single contract. The agency suspects multiple tenders may have been manipulated to favour the same company through a wider corruption network involving others within the defence establishment.
While the identities of other possible accused Army personnel have not yet been disclosed, the CBI confirmed that scrutiny of Colonel Bali’s bank accounts, financial transactions and call records is currently underway as the investigation expands.
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