Hyd: Retired Army havildar held for stealing arms, ammunition from Bollaram military unit
Hyderabad, Sept 11 (TNT): Telangana Police on Friday arrested a retired Army havildar in connection with the theft of firearms and ammunition from the Kote and Magazine Rooms of 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment, at Bollaram here.
Addressing a press conference here, DGP C V Anand said the accused, identified as Upputholla Mallesh (37), was arrested in a joint operation by Bollaram Police, Hyderabad City Police Task Force and SOT Malkajgiri.
Mallesh, a resident of Jangam Reddy Pally in Amrabad of Nagar Kurnool district (Telangana), had joined the Indian Army in 2010 and served for 16 years before retiring on June 30 this year, Anand said.
According to the DGP, the theft took place during the intervening night of August 30 and 31. The accused allegedly entered the military unit around 11 pm and stole firearms and ammunition from the Kote and Magazine Rooms.
The stolen arms included four AK-203 rifles with five magazines, one 5.56 mm INSAS 1B1 rifle with three magazines, six 9 mm Pistol 9MA1 weapons with 12 magazines, one .635-bore civilian pistol with a magazine and a pair of passive night-vision binoculars.
The stolen ammunition comprised 1,156 rounds of 9 mm pistol ammunition, 720 rounds of AK-203 ammunition and 11 rounds of 5.56 mm INSAS ammunition, including tracer and blank rounds, he said.
The motive for the theft appeared to be discontentment over his early retirement from service, Anand said.
A case was registered at Bollaram Police Station under Crime No. 207/2026 under Sections 331(4) and 305 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and the investigation was taken up by an ACP-rank officer.
Acting on credible information, the joint team apprehended Mallesh at his residence and recovered the stolen arms and ammunition allegedly kept at locations in Kowkoor and Yapral, besides Achampet in Nagar Kurnool district.
He was arrested on Friday and remanded to judicial custody, police said.
Anand said the case was treated as a major challenge and the arrest was achieved through coordinated efforts of the Malkajgiri Police Zone, Hyderabad City Police Task Force and Telangana State Intelligence Department.
TNT TS
