Hyderabad, Sept 2026 : A court in Telangana’s Secunderabad on Sunday remanded former Army non-commissioned officer (NCO) Upputholla Mallesh to seven days of police custody in connection with the theft of firearms and ammunition from the armoury of the 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment, in Bolarum.
Police are expected to take Mallesh into custody on Monday for detailed interrogation in the sensational case, officials said. Investigators will question him further based on information gathered during preliminary questioning following his arrest.
Mallesh, 37, was arrested on September 11 in connection with the theft, which allegedly took place during the intervening night of August 30 and 31. Following his arrest, he was initially sent to judicial custody for 14 days and lodged at Chanchalguda Central Prison.
Telangana Police are also expected to share details emerging from the interrogation with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Army authorities for further investigation.
Telangana Director General of Police C. V. Anand had said during a press conference on Friday that preliminary investigation indicated that Mallesh had acted alone in carrying out the theft. However, he made it clear that police were continuing to investigate whether any other persons were involved.
During the police custody period, investigators are expected to question Mallesh about whether he received assistance from anyone while carrying out the theft and whether he subsequently handed over any of the stolen weapons or ammunition to others for concealment.
The DGP had earlier announced that the entire cache of firearms and ammunition stolen from the Kote and Magazine of the 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment, had been recovered.
The arrest was carried out in a joint operation involving Bolarum Police, the Hyderabad Task Force and the Special Operations Team (SOT) of the Malkajgiri Commissionerate.
Police Reconstruct Theft
According to investigators, Mallesh’s movements in the days leading up to the theft played a key role in identifying him as the suspected accused.
The DGP had said the preliminary motive appeared to be disgruntlement over Mallesh’s early retirement from the Army.
A native of Jangareddypalle village in Nagarkurnool district, Mallesh joined the Indian Army in 2010 and served for around 16 years before retiring on June 30, 2026. His retirement was reportedly on grounds of indiscipline and poor health.
After examining the evidence and his movements, investigators focused on Mallesh, who was staying with his family at Balajinagar in the Secunderabad Cantonment area.
Police found his movements from August 27 onwards, including on the day of the offence, suspicious and inconsistent with statements made by him during the initial investigation.
The investigation reportedly established that Mallesh visited the area on August 27, 28 and 29, allegedly conducting reconnaissance of the arms depository.
On the night of August 30, he allegedly broke the lock of the arms and ammunition stores and removed the weapons and ammunition. Police believe he initially transported the stolen cache on his motorcycle before subsequently shifting it into his car.
The stolen material was later transported to Nagarkurnool district, where it was allegedly concealed near his residence.
Large Cache of Weapons Recovered
The recovered weapons and ammunition included four AK-203 assault rifles along with five magazines, one INSAS rifle with three magazines and six 9 mm pistols with 12 magazines.
The cache also included one civil 6.35-bore pistol with a magazine and one passive night-vision binocular.
Among the ammunition recovered were 1,156 rounds of 9 mm pistol ammunition and 720 rounds of ammunition for AK-203 rifles.
Police also recovered 11 ball rounds, five tracer rounds and 20 blank rounds of 5.56 mm INSAS ammunition.
With Mallesh now being taken into police custody, investigators are expected to focus on establishing the complete sequence of events surrounding the theft, determining whether anyone assisted him and examining whether the recovered weapons and ammunition were intended to be transferred or used elsewhere.
The police are also expected to coordinate with the Army and the NIA as the investigation progresses, particularly to establish the circumstances that enabled the theft of the sensitive military weapons and ammunition from the Bolarum armoury.
