Himanshu Bali was arrested on May 18 from Kolkata and is being brought to Delhi, CBI sources say

The CBI has arrested an army colonel posted with the Army Ordnance Corps under the Eastern Command in Kolkata in an alleged Rs 50 lakh bribery case, official sources said on Tuesday.

Himanshu Bali was arrested on May 18 from Kolkata and is being brought to Delhi, CBI sources informed this newspaper.

Bali is accused of favouring a Kanpur-based company by allegedly manipulating the award of tenders, approving substandard samples, and facilitating clearance of pending and inflated bills.

In its FIR filed on May 18, the CBI said the colonel had contacted the industrialist over the pending bribe payment, to which the businessman cited cash constraints. Apart from the colonel, the FIR has named four other individuals.

The agency alleged in the FIR that the officer later called the industrialist’s driver and asked him to deliver the payment to one of his acquaintances. The pending bribe amount of Rs 50 lakh was to be routed through hawala channels, it further alleged.

The CBI arrested the colonel after registering a case against him and the private contractor in the alleged bribery case, officials said.