Hyderabad: The investigation into the sensational theft of firearms from the Madras Regiment armoury has uncovered possible insider links, with arrested ex-havildar U Mallesh reportedly telling investigators that he remained in regular contact with four Army personnel on security duty and used information gathered from them to plan and execute the burglary.Mallesh is also believed to have told the interrogators that he had kept a stolen pistol and a magazine at his rented house near Jawaharnagar to show them to prospective buyersPolice are now probing whether members of the regiment actively assisted him and whether he had established links with potential buyers for the stolen weapons.Malkajgiri police took Mallesh (37) into custody from Chanchalguda prison on Sept 22 and have since been questioning him about the circumstances surrounding the theft and the possible involvement of others.During interrogation, Mallesh reportedly told investigators that after serving in the Madras Regiment for 16 years, he was discharged on June 30 against his wishes on grounds of health and indiscipline. According to police, the dismissal left him embittered.“He wanted to work for three more years, and after the removal from service, he bore a grudge against superior officers. He wanted to trouble the officers by stealing weapons. Also, Mallesh checked on social media platforms regarding demand for advanced firearms and ammunition from anti-social elements. By selling weapons, he wanted to make up for the loss of three years of service,” said a police officer.Investigators said Mallesh kept the stolen 9 mm pistol and a magazine containing 10 live rounds at his rented house to display them to buyers. The remaining cache, including four AK-206 rifles, an INSAS rifle, six pistols and ammunition, was allegedly buried in a pit on the premises of his father’s house in Achampet, Nagarkurnool district. Based on his confession, police recovered the entire stolen haul after his arrest on Sept 11.Police said Mallesh also revealed that he used only an iron rod purchased for Rs 150 from a roadside vendor in Yapral to break open the locks of the firearms kote and magazine on the night of Aug 30.“Mallesh said he was in contact with four former colleagues who were deployed on kote, magazine and guard duties, from whom he came to know that the CCTV cameras get turned off each night at 8 pm and on Sunday, movement of guards would be less. Accordingly, he planned the burglary on the night of Sunday (Aug 30) and reached the armoury at around 11 pm,” said a police officer.According to investigators, Mallesh spent more than 90 minutes breaking the locks and packing the weapons and ammunition into empty sand gunny bags found near the armoury. His claim that he transported the bags on a scooter and made two trips into and out of the military establishment has raised suspicions that he received assistance.“We are questioning Mallesh and some suspects, including members of the Madras Regiment, to find out who else was involved. We are also checking if he has made any contacts with any potential buyers. There will be additional arrests,” said an investigator.Mallesh’s police custody is scheduled to end on Oct 1.
