The CBI has intensified its anti-corruption efforts within India’s tri-services
The law enforcement agencies have launched a crackdown against corruption within the tri-services, with four senior armed forces personnel finding themselves in the Central Bureau of Investigation net in the last five months.The latest: CBI has registered a case against Captain Raminder Singh Wadhwa (Retd) of the Indian Navy who has been booked for allegedly amassing assets worth over ₹3 crore which are disproportionate to his known source of income between 2010-2020, officials stated.The CBI charged in its FIR, registered on May 15 but revealed on Wednesday, that the retired officer acquired several assets between 2010 and 2020 — a period covering much of his tenure as Commander and Captain in the Navy.During the period, the family’s assets allegedly increased from Rs 2.31 crore to Rs 6.90 crore, with immovable properties nearly doubling in numbers, FIR revealed.After taking into account the income and expenditure of the accused officer and his family members — including his wife and two sons — the CBI alleged that assets worth ₹3.18 crore could not be satisfactorily explained, leading to the registration of a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act.Wadhwa joined the Navy as a Sub-Lieutenant on July 1, 1989, and rose to the rank of Captain — equivalent to a Colonel in the Army — on August 6, 2016, before retiring in 2024, they said.Sensitive postingsDuring his service as Captain, he held several sensitive postings, including at the Directorate of Network Centric Operations, HQ SFC (Strategic Forces Command); Naval Dockyard, Mumbai; Directorate of Quality Assurance (Naval) Cell in BHEL; National Security Council Secretariat & Directorate of Naval Design (Submarine Design Group), they said.Two days ago, the CBI registered an FIR and arrested Colonel Himanshu Bali of the Army Ordnance Corps, Eastern Command, Kolkata, on charges of demanding a bribe of ₹50 lakh. A Rouse Avenue Court of Delhi on Wednesday remanded Colonel Bali to CBI custody till May 25.The arrest follows a detailed investigation into allegations of illegal dealings between military officials and private contractors. According to the allegations in the FIR registered by the CBI, Colonel Bali, in connivance with Akshat Agrawal of M/s Eastern Global Limited, Kanpur, and other associates, was allegedly involved in manipulating the award of defence tenders, approving substandard supplies, and clearing inflated bills in exchange for hefty bribes.The FIR reveals that the conspiracy spanned multiple cities, including New Delhi, Kolkata, Kanpur and Gurgaon. The investigation revealed that during March-April 2026, a tender was awarded to Eastern Global Limited after Colonel Bali allegedly received undue favours. On April 22, 2026, Colonel Bali and Akshat Agrawal reportedly met in Kolkata to discuss the tender, which was subsequently awarded two days later.The CBI further alleged that on May 16, 2026, Colonel Bali contacted Agrawal to remind him of the pending bribe, instructing that the payment be delivered in the Delhi-NCR region.Hawala channelsArrangements were then made for the delivery of approximately ₹50 lakh through hawala channels, with the money to be handed over to an associate in Delhi.Other accused in the case are Mayank Agrawal (Akshat’s father), Ashutosh Shukla (an associate), Naresh Pal, and other unknown individuals. The offences are punishable under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018), and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.CBI officials stated that the arrest is part of a broader effort to root out corruption in defence procurement and ensure transparency in government contracts.In December 2025, the CBI exposed a high-profile defence bribery and corruption racket involving an Army couple and private defence suppliers.Lt Colonel Deepak Kumar Sharma, posted as a Deputy Planning Officer (International Cooperation and Exports) within the Department of Defence Production under the Ministry of Defence, and his wife, Colonel Kajal Bali, serving as the Commanding Officer of the 16 Infantry Division Ordnance Unit in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, were arrested by the CBI in December.Following searches, the investigators seized ₹2.23 crore in cash from Sharma’s Delhi residence and an additional ₹10 lakh from his wife Kajal’s house in Rajasthan.Published on May 20, 2026
