Bolarum Armoury theft: Two army personnel under scanner

The investigation into the Bolarum Madras Regiment armoury theft has widened, with former havildar U Mallesh granted 10 days’ police custody. Investigators are examining his motive, online activity, possible arms-dealer links and the suspected involvement of two serving Army personnel.

Hyderabad: The investigation into the theft of firearms and ammunition from the Madras Regiment armoury at Bolarum has widened, with a court granting 10 days’ police custody to former Army havildar U Mallesh from Tuesday.

Military authorities, Central Agencies and Malkajgiri Police are expected to question Mallesh extensively about the theft, his movements before and after the crime, the handling of the stolen weapons and whether anyone assisted him. Investigators are also examining the suspected involvement of two serving Army personnel, who have come under the scanner in the latest stage of the probe. Their alleged role has not yet been established.

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Mallesh, a former member of the 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment, allegedly broke into the Kote and Magazine rooms on the intervening night of August 30 and 31 and escaped with four AK-203 rifles, an INSAS rifle, seven pistols, magazines, ammunition and a passive night-vision device. The entire cache was subsequently recovered from locations in Nagarkurnool district.

Mallesh joined the Army in 2010 and was removed from service on June 30, 2026, after around 16 years. Police initially suspected that resentment over his premature retirement and disciplinary issues could have motivated the theft. Investigators are examining whether he intended to damage the reputation of his former unit and settle a personal score with senior officers.

Investigators are also probing whether the stolen weapons were intended for sale. While an initial police statement indicated that Mallesh did not steal the weapons to sell them, subsequent investigation has focused on his online activity and possible contacts with arms dealers.

Investigators reportedly found that Mallesh’s social-media account followed an account which claimed to be an arms and ammunition dealer based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Agencies are examining whether this was merely an online connection or whether Mallesh actually communicated with or attempted to deal with firearms sellers. No such transaction has been publicly established so far.

Officials are also looking into Mallesh’s alleged criminal history in his native Amrabad area of Nagarkurnool, including claims that he had earlier been involved in a theft case and served a jail sentence. Details of that alleged case have not been independently confirmed in the latest publicly available police statements, and investigators are expected to verify his past record during the current custodial interrogation.

On the night of August 30, he entered the premises, broke the locks and carried the weapons and ammunition out on a motorcycle.

The investigation will now focus on whether Mallesh acted alone or whether others helped him gain access, remove the weapons, or dispose of them. The 10-day custody is expected to provide investigators an opportunity to confront Mallesh with technical, CCTV and other evidence collected during the probe.