Indian Defence Ministry Officer Lt Col Deepak Kumar Sharma Arrested in Major Bribery Case

New Delhi: India’s premier investigative agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), has arrested Lieutenant Colonel Deepak Kumar Sharma, an officer posted in the Defence Production Wing of the Ministry of Defence, in a major bribery and corruption case. A private individual, Vinod Kumar, has also been taken into custody. The arrests were made on December 20, 2025.

According to the CBI, the case was registered on December 19, 2025, following credible and confidential information. Lieutenant Colonel Sharma was serving as Deputy Planning Officer (International Cooperation and Exports) in the Department of Defence Production. His wife, Colonel Kajal Bali, who is Commanding Officer of the 16 Infantry Division Ordnance Unit in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, along with several other individuals, has also been named in the case. A Dubai-based private company is likewise under investigation.

The CBI has alleged that Lt Col Deepak Kumar Sharma was habitually involved in corrupt and illegal activities, receiving bribes in collusion with representatives of private companies engaged in defence manufacturing and exports. In return, he allegedly provided undue benefits and unlawful facilitation to these companies from various government departments and ministries.

Investigators stated that Rajiv Yadav and Ravijeet Singh, who oversee the company’s operations in India and are based in Bengaluru, were in constant contact with Lt Col Sharma and worked with him to illegally secure government advantages for their company. The CBI further alleged that on December 18, 2025, Vinod Kumar delivered a bribe of INR 300,000 to Lt Col Sharma on the company’s instructions.

The agency conducted raids at multiple locations, including Sri Ganganagar, Bengaluru, Jammu, and other places. During searches at Lt Col Sharma’s residence in Delhi, the CBI recovered the alleged bribe amount of INR 300,000 along with INR 22.3 million in cash. An additional INR 1 million in cash and other incriminating evidence were seized from his residence in Sri Ganganagar. Searches at his official office in New Delhi are still ongoing.

Both arrested accused, Lt Col Deepak Kumar Sharma and Vinod Kumar, were produced before a court and have been remanded to police custody until December 23, 2025.

The CBI said further investigation is underway, and more arrests are likely in the case.