3 army personnel steal weapons in Hyderabad:Main suspect retired in June this year, had a history of thefts

Seven people, including three army personnel, were arrested on Saturday in connection with the theft of weapons from an army facility in Hyderabad. Malkajgiri Police Commissioner B Sumathi provided the information. The main accused in the case is former havildar Upputhalla Mallesh from Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district. He was arrested on 11 September. Mallesh is accused of stealing AK-203 assault rifles and bullets from the kote and battalion magazine in Bolarum on the intervening night of 30 and 31 August. The stolen items were hidden at his father’s house in Achampet, Nagarkurnool. Police said all the stolen items had been recovered. The investigation found no links to any terrorist or extremist organisation. Seven arrests made on Saturday According to police, seven more people were arrested on Saturday during the investigation. They include three serving army personnel, two people from West Bengal, one of Mallesh’s cousins and one of his friends. Mallesh committed the crime with the help of the other accused. According to the police, his motive was to carry out thefts and robberies to raise a large sum of money. B Sumathi told reporters, “According to the investigation, Mallesh committed the crime with the help of the other accused. His motive was to commit crimes involving large amounts of property. No links with any terrorist or extremist organisation were found.” Mallesh was given premature retirement for indiscipline Mallesh was a havildar in the 20 Battalion of the Madras Regiment. He was given premature retirement in June this year because of indiscipline and poor health. He was produced before a court, which sent him to judicial custody. The police took him into custody on 22 September. The investigation revealed that Mallesh had previously been involved in burglaries. He had planned a major robbery with his cousin and a friend, both of whom were facing financial difficulties. The three wanted to rob banks, jewellery shops and wealthy people to make more money. Locks Broken with the Help of Army Personnel The commissioner said that Malleshi contacted three army personnel from his regiment. With their help, he broke the locks on the armoury and magazine and stole weapons and ammunition. During police questioning, Malleshi confessed to another detail. He said that his battalion was stationed in Barrackpore, Kolkata, in 2022. During that period, he bought a country-made weapon and a live cartridge from two people from West Bengal. According to the police, the two men said that Malleshi had contacted them and asked whether they would buy weapons and ammunition stolen from the Army. Both agreed. The Indian Army did not immediately respond to the arrest.