Hyderabad police have arrested a retired Army Havildar for allegedly stealing firearms and nearly 1,900 rounds of ammunition from the Kote and Magazine rooms of the 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment, situated in the high-security military zone of Bollarum in Secunderabad Cantonment. The accused has been identified as 37-year-old Upputholla Mallesh.
Mallesh joined the Army in 2010 and retired on June 30, 2026. Police said he carried out the theft during the intervening night of August 30 and 31, with preliminary findings suggesting that his frustration over his early retirement may have been the motive.
The stolen weapons and equipment included four AK-203 rifles, one INSAS rifle, seven pistols, magazines, a passive night-vision binocular and around 1,900 rounds of ammunition.
HOW MALLESH MOVED THE STOLEN ARMS
According to Telangana DGP CV Anand, Mallesh re-entered the military unit and took the magazine covers before returning to his home in Balaji Nagar. CCTV footage showed him reaching his house at 4:34 am.
He then placed the bag containing the magazines inside his white Brezza car. From there, he drove to a temple where he had hidden the firearms and ammunition, loaded the entire consignment into the vehicle and set off towards Achampet.
Police said Mallesh travelled via the Outer Ring Road, Sagar Ring Road and Bangalore Gate Road, deliberately avoiding Srisailam Road to stay away from toll gates.
HE HIRED PASSENGERS DURING JOURNEY
During the trip, Mallesh allegedly picked up passengers to create an impression that he had travelled towards Achampet for legitimate work.
DGP Anand said that after leaving the Army, Mallesh had been using his car to transport passengers to make a living. He picked up four people near the Sagar Ring Road taxi point, dropped them in Devarakonda and received payment.
He later picked up two more passengers at Dindi, collected their fares and dropped them farther along the route.
According to police, Mallesh reached Achampet at around 1:15 pm on August 31.
STOLEN ARMS RECOVERED
As suspicion surrounding Mallesh increased, he allegedly became anxious and moved the entire stolen consignment on September 6.
Police said he eventually confessed to the theft on September 10. Acting on his confession, teams from the Hyderabad Task Force, led by the DCP, recovered all the stolen weapons, ammunition and other items.
DGP CV Anand said the exact motive and intention behind the theft were still being investigated and that further inquiry was necessary.
