A 37-year-old retired Army Havildar has been taken into custody in connection with a major weapons theft from a military facility in Secunderabad, bringing a ten-day manhunt to an end. Telangana Police announced the arrest on 11 September, identifying the accused as Upputolla Mallesh, a native of Jangamreddy Pally in Amrabad mandal of Nagarkurnool district. He had served with the 20 Madras Regiment for 16 years after joining the Army in 2010 and was discharged on health and disciplinary grounds on 30 June this year. A case has been registered under Sections 3314 and 305 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Bollarum police station. The accused has been remanded to judicial custody. Investigators recovered four AK-203 rifles, one INSAS rifle, seven pistols including a civilian one, a night-vision device, binoculars, 21 magazines, and nearly 1,900 rounds of ammunition from Mallesh’s residence. Telangana Director General of Police CV Anand said no theft of this scale had ever been recorded in the area, which was why the case was treated as a priority from the outset.
Security Vulnerabilities
Police say the accused exploited major security gaps to carry out the theft. An Army internal review is underway. Investigators found that the armoury at Bollarum carried no identifying signboard, had multiple entry and exit points, and stored arms and ammunition in separate rooms roughly 50 metres apart.
The Discovery
The theft was discovered on the morning of 31 August when unit personnel found the locks of the Bell of Arms and the Battalion Magazine broken and their storage boxes forced open. The arms had last been accounted for around 6 PM the previous evening. A National Investigation Agency team visited the premises on 5 September to assist local investigators.
The Investigation
The joint investigation team, comprising Malkajgiri Police, the Hyderabad City Task Force, the Special Operations Team, Telangana State Intelligence, and Army Intelligence, examined dozens of people before focusing on recent retirees. Investigators initially questioned 16 personnel with routine access to storage facilities and the two officials in charge of the respective armouries. They also examined seven members of the cantonment’s quick-reaction team, seven outsourced workers such as electricians and plumbers, 34 personnel who had faced disciplinary action, and 54 who had been on leave around the relevant period. The team analysed call records, footage, mobile forensics, fingerprints, and deployed a dog squad without success.
Attention then turned to seven Army personnel recently pensioned out on grounds of indiscipline or ill health. Two stood out during closer scrutiny: a Havildar settled in Prakasam district and Mallesh, who had been discharged only two months earlier.
Questioning and Confession
A team travelled to Nagarkurnool on 7 September to question Mallesh. Police say he gave evasive answers, appeared visibly nervous, and had wiped his phone’s WhatsApp and call logs, all of which deepened suspicion. His phone was seized and local police were asked to keep him under surveillance.
Mallesh avoided travelling to Hyderabad for further questioning over the following two days until his wife and father-in-law, briefed on the severity of the case, persuaded him to make the trip on 10 September. Police said he confessed to his wife during that journey upon confrontation. His father-in-law alerted local police, who in turn informed the task force. Investigators recovered the hidden weapons with help from Nagarkurnool police.
Carrying Out the Theft
The accused had prepared for the theft over two nights, scouting the premises on 28 and 29 August to study guard movements, lighting, and noting that the armoury’s cameras did not function after dark.
On the night of 30 August, he rode his Activa scooter from his rented home in Balaji Nagar nearby and entered the cantonment through the Kargil gate at around 11 PM. He broke open the locks of the Bell of Arms and moved weapons one at a time to a dark corner outside. He then forced open the ammunition store with greater difficulty. The noise briefly attracted a guard, who left because poor lighting prevented clear visibility. Mallesh spent close to an hour inside, taking ammunition to match the weapons he had already removed, before hiding the haul at a nearby temple. He returned a second time for magazine pouches and was stopped by a guard but was allowed to leave after claiming to belong to the regiment’s 20 Battalion. Footage placed him back at his Balaji Nagar home with the magazines at 4:34 AM. Later that morning, he loaded the ammunition into his car, recovered the weapons from the temple, and set off towards Nagarkurnool.
Escape Route
He took a longer route via the Outer Ring Road and the Nagarjuna Sagar highway to avoid tollgates and cameras on the Srisailam road. Along the way, he picked up and dropped off unrelated passengers near Deverakonda and again close to Dindi, taking fares. Investigators believe this was meant to provide an explanation if his unusual route was questioned.
He reached his family’s home in Achampet in the early afternoon and hid the stolen arms and ammunition inside a haystack on the property. His father, who was at home at the time, was unaware of what had happened. Nearly a week later, on 6 September, Mallesh briefly shifted the entire consignment to a friend’s vacant house nearby before moving it back to the same spot at his home. Police say they have not yet determined why he made that move.
Investigation Findings
Police said they have not yet established a motive behind the theft. Their preliminary assessment points to Mallesh’s resentment over early and involuntary discharge from service but needs further examination. DGP Anand said no evidence has emerged linking the theft to espionage, terrorism, or international actors, and the case does not appear connected to drug trafficking. Officials added that no other Army personnel or civilians are currently suspected of involvement. The Army is separately investigating the security lapses that allowed the theft to occur. With the entire consignment recovered, police said there is no continuing threat to national security.