New Delhi, May 25 (IANS) A Delhi court on Monday extended the CBI custody of Army officer Colonel Himanshu Bali by five days in connection with a bribery case involving the alleged payment of Rs 50 lakh for manipulating defence tenders and clearing false bills.

Colonel Bali was produced before the Rouse Avenue Court after the expiry of his earlier five-day custody granted to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Allowing the agency’s plea, the court extended his custodial interrogation by five more days to facilitate further investigation into the case registered under charges of criminal conspiracy and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

In the same case, the court also sent Kanpur-based businessman Akshat Agrawal and his father, Mayank Agrawal, to five days of CBI custody after they were produced following their recent arrest by the probe agency.

The CBI had sought further custodial interrogation of Colonel Bali and the two co-accused as part of its ongoing investigation into the alleged corruption racket involving defence procurement processes.

According to the FIR registered by the CBI, Colonel Bali, posted with the Army Ordnance Corps in the Eastern Command at Fort William in Kolkata, is alleged to have been involved in a larger conspiracy with private individuals and defence contractors to manipulate procurement procedures and extend undue favours in exchange for illegal gratification.

The agency has named multiple accused in the case, including Akshat Agrawal, Mayank Agrawal, Delhi-based associate Ashutosh Shukla, and alleged bribe receiver Naresh Pal, along with other unknown public servants and private persons.

As per the allegations, Colonel Bali is suspected of influencing the issuance of tenders in favour of a private company, approving substandard materials, and facilitating the clearance of pending and inflated bills in return for bribes.

Earlier, on May 20, the Rouse Avenue Court had sent Colonel Bali to five days of CBI custody after allowing the probe agency’s plea for custodial interrogation.

The CBI had then informed the court that the probe was focused on unearthing the alleged nexus between defence personnel and private contractors engaged in corrupt practices within the procurement system.

–IANS

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