Three soldiers among seven more held in Bolarum arms theft; police say weapons were meant for a string of robberies

The retired Havaldar Mallesh allegedly explored selling the stolen military weapons to contacts in West Bengal

Updated - October 03, 2026 02:53 pm IST - HYDERABAD

Malkajgiri Police Commissioner B. Sumathi and other police officials with the seven accused who were arrested recently, at a press conference held in Secunderabad, Telangana, on Saturday (October 3, 2026) | Photo Credit: NAVEEN KUMAR

The theft of military weapons from the Madras Regiment premises at Bolarum, Secunderabad Cantonment, was allegedly part of a wider plot to rob banks, jewellery shops and wealthy individuals, police said on Saturday (October 3, 2026), marking a significant turn in the investigation after arrested former Havaldar Upputholla Mallesh had initially claimed that he acted alone.

Seven more persons, including three serving Army personnel, were arrested in the case. The Malkajgiri Police said 37-year-old Mallesh, a retired Havaldar of the 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment, allegedly planned the theft with the others and explored selling the stolen military weapons to contacts in West Bengal.

Three serving Army personnel arrested

The three serving Army personnel arrested are 36-year-old Konduri Sheshulu, a Sepoy; 34-year-old Vinod Kumar, a Naik, and 37-year-old Kucharakanthi Praveen, a Havaldar.

While Sheshulu and Vinod Kumar are from Markapuram in Andhra Pradesh, Praveen is from Gundlapottapalli in Mahabubnagar district, Telangana.

Accused civilians from WB and Telangana

The four civilian accused are 32-year-old Avi Dey alias Obi of Barrackpore in West Bengal, 27-year-old Birbal Shaw, who ran a sugarcane juice centre near Barrackpore Cantonment, Mallesh’s 39-year-old cousin Upputholla Mallikarjun, a mason from Padara in Nagarkurnool district, and 39-year-old Chemmakar Niranjan, a kirana shop owner from the same area.

According to B. Sumathi, Malkajgiri Police Commissioner, Mallesh initially hatched a plan with his cousin Mallikarjun and friend Niranjan — who faced financial problems — to rob banks, jewellery shops and wealthy persons. The group allegedly intended to use firearms to carry out the robberies.

“Mallesh had initially approached Dey and Shaw to procure firearms. When Dey allegedly sought more time, Mallesh contacted Sheshulu, Vinod Kumar and Praveen, the personnel he had previously worked with in the Madras Regiment,” said the Commissioner.

Ms. Sumathi added that the three serving personnel extended support for the theft of the arms and ammunition. Dey was subsequently asked whether he would buy Army weapons, and allegedly agreed to purchase pistols for ₹3 lakh each and “long weapons” for ₹5 lakh each, besides paying separately for ammunition.

With the alleged assistance of the three Army personnel, Mallesh broke open the locks of the Kote and Magazine and stole the weapons and ammunition, the police said.

The disclosures emerged during Mallesh’s 10-day police custody from September 22 to October 1 and have widened the scope of an investigation that had initially centred on the former Havaldar.

Connections during Mallesh’s posting in Barrackpore

The investigators have also traced the alleged arms connection back to 2022, when Mallesh’s battalion was posted at Barrackpore in West Bengal. The police said he became acquainted with Shaw, who operated a sugarcane juice centre near the Army unit. Through Shaw, Mallesh allegedly purchased a country-made firearm, locally called a ‘thapancha’, and a live round from Dey for ₹10,000.

Mallesh allegedly concealed the firearm at his father’s house in Sai Nagar Colony, Achampet. It was recovered by Malkajgiri police on September 23. The police claimed Mallesh had intended to use it to extort money from people but had not used the weapon in an offence.

Dey had previously been booked under the Arms Act by Khardah Police in West Bengal in 2012, and the case is pending trial before a court in Barrackpore, according to the police.

Mallesh was arrested on September 11. The recovered military cache comprised four AK-203 rifles with five magazines, an INSAS rifle with three magazines, six 9 mm pistols with 12 magazines, a 6.35-bore civilian pistol with a magazine and three binoculars. The police also recovered 1,156 rounds of 9 mm ammunition, 720 AK-203 rounds and 36 INSAS rounds, taking the ammunition haul to 1,912 rounds.

Telangana Director General of Police C.V. Anand, along with senior officers, examines the arms and ammunition stolen from the 20 Madras Regiment premises in Bolarum, Secunderabad Cantonment, displayed during a press conference held in Hyderabad on Friday (September 11, 2026) | Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL