Seven more people — including three serving Army personnel — have been arrested in connection with the sensational theft of military-grade weapons from an armoury in Secunderabad, taking the total number of accused in custody to eight.
The arrests were announced by Malkajgiri Police Commissioner B. Sumathi at a press conference on Saturday, October 3. The three serving personnel have been identified as Sepoy Konduri Sheshulu (36) of the 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment; Naik Vinod Kumar (34), a Kote (arms store) employee of the same battalion; and Havildar Kucharakanthi Praveen (37) of the 16 Battalion, Madras Regiment.
The heist
The case dates to the intervening night of August 30 and 31, when 12 military-grade weapons — four AK-203 assault rifles, seven pistols and an INSAS rifle — along with more than 1,900 rounds of ammunition were stolen from the Kote and Battalion Magazine of the 20 Madras Regiment at Bolarum in the Secunderabad Cantonment. Police later recovered the entire cache.
The prime accused, 37-year-old Upputholla Mallesh alias Raju, a retired Havildar of the regiment, was arrested on September 11. Police say he roped in the three serving men, who allegedly shared details of the Kote's guard positions and sentry duties and helped break open the locks. The four civilians arrested are Avi Dey alias Obi, Birbal Shaw, Upputholla Mallikarjun and Chemmakar Niranjan.
Motive: robbery, not terror
Commissioner Sumathi said the investigation had ruled out any terrorist or extremist connection. According to police, Mallesh planned to sell the weapons on the black market — assault rifles for around Rs 5 lakh each and pistols for Rs 2 lakh — and to use them in a series of robberies targeting banks, jewellery shops and wealthy individuals.
All seven were produced before a local court and remanded to 14 days' judicial custody. Mallesh is lodged in Chanchalguda Central Jail.
Sources: The Indian Express, The Times of India
The arrests were announced by Malkajgiri Police Commissioner B. Sumathi at a press conference on Saturday, October 3. The three serving personnel have been identified as Sepoy Konduri Sheshulu (36) of the 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment; Naik Vinod Kumar (34), a Kote (arms store) employee of the same battalion; and Havildar Kucharakanthi Praveen (37) of the 16 Battalion, Madras Regiment.
The heist
The case dates to the intervening night of August 30 and 31, when 12 military-grade weapons — four AK-203 assault rifles, seven pistols and an INSAS rifle — along with more than 1,900 rounds of ammunition were stolen from the Kote and Battalion Magazine of the 20 Madras Regiment at Bolarum in the Secunderabad Cantonment. Police later recovered the entire cache.
The prime accused, 37-year-old Upputholla Mallesh alias Raju, a retired Havildar of the regiment, was arrested on September 11. Police say he roped in the three serving men, who allegedly shared details of the Kote's guard positions and sentry duties and helped break open the locks. The four civilians arrested are Avi Dey alias Obi, Birbal Shaw, Upputholla Mallikarjun and Chemmakar Niranjan.
Motive: robbery, not terror
Commissioner Sumathi said the investigation had ruled out any terrorist or extremist connection. According to police, Mallesh planned to sell the weapons on the black market — assault rifles for around Rs 5 lakh each and pistols for Rs 2 lakh — and to use them in a series of robberies targeting banks, jewellery shops and wealthy individuals.
All seven were produced before a local court and remanded to 14 days' judicial custody. Mallesh is lodged in Chanchalguda Central Jail.
Sources: The Indian Express, The Times of India
