Telangana police arrest ex-Army havildar in arms theft
DGP CV Anand addressed the media and revealed details of the arrest of a retired Army havildar in connection with the theft of firearms and ammunition from the 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment, in Bollarum.
Bollarum police, along with the Hyderabad City Police Task Force and SOT Malkajgiri Commissionerate, arrested the retired havildar on September 11.
G Ramesh, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Trimulgherry Division, led the operation along with Bollarum police, Hyderabad Task Force and SOT Malkajgiri Commissionerate.
The accused was identified as Upputholla Mallesh, son of Sathyanarayana, 37, a retired havildar of the 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment, and a resident of Jangam Reddy Pally, Amrabad, Nagarkurnool district.
Police detail theft from Army Kote and magazine
According to the press note, Mallesh was a retired Army personnel of the 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment, Bollarum. He joined the Indian Army in 2010, worked for 16 years and retired from service on June 30, 2026.
The intention behind the theft preliminarily appeared to be “disgruntlement out of early retirement from service”, according to the press note.
As per the accused’s plan, he came to the 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment, Bollarum area at about 11pm in the intervening night of August 30 and 31 and stole firearms and ammunition from the Kote room and magazine room.
The stolen items were:
Four AK-203 7.62x39mm rifles along with five magazines from Kote-HQ.
One 5.56mm INSAS 1B1 rifle along with three magazines from Kote-HQ.
Six 9mm Auto 1A pistols along with 12 magazines from Kote-HQ.
One civilian 6.35-bore pistol along with a magazine from Kote-HQ.
One passive night-vision binocular from Kote-HQ.
1,156 rounds of 9mm Auto 1A pistol ammunition from the 20 Battalion.
720 rounds of AK-203 ammunition from the 20 Battalion.
5.56mm INSAS ammunition comprising 11 ball rounds, five tracer rounds and 20 blank rounds from the 20 Battalion.
Police arrest accused in joint operation
Following receipt of the complaint, Bollarum police registered a case under Sections 331(4) and 305 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
As per the instructions of senior officers, an ACP-rank officer took over the investigation for further inquiry.
Later, based on credible information, the investigating officer of Bollarum police, along with the Hyderabad Task Force and SOT Malkajgiri Commissionerate, apprehended the accused at his residence.
The police said that the accused had kept the stolen arms and ammunition at his residence at Kowkoor, Yapral, and at Achampet in Nagarkurnool district.
Bollarum police arrested Mallesh on September 11 and remanded him to judicial custody under Sections 331(4) and 305 of the BNS.
The Telangana Police said it took the case as a major challenge and that the arrest was the direct result of coordinated teamwork by the Malkajgiri Police Zone, Hyderabad City Police Task Force and Telangana State Intelligence Department.
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