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Malkajgiri Commissioner of Police B. Sumathi IPS said the prime accused, U. Mallesh, allegedly conspired with his cousin and friend to steal arms and ammunition from the Bolarum military armoury, with the alleged intention of using the weapons in robberies and selling them to arms buyers.
HYDERABAD, Oct 4 (Shoukat–PMI) Bolarum police under the Malkajgiri Commissionerate have arrested seven more persons, including three Army personnel, in connection with the alleged theft of arms and ammunition from a military armoury in Bolarum. Prime accused U. Mallesh had been arrested earlier and is currently lodged in Chanchalguda prison.
According to Malkajgiri Commissioner of Police B. Sumathi, the three Army personnel arrested are 20th Battalion sepoy Konduri Sheshulu, 20th Battalion Kote (weapons storehouse) employee Vinod Kumar and 16th Battalion havaldar Kucharakanti Praveen. The other accused have been identified as Avi Dey alias Obi and Birbal Shaw, both from West Bengal, besides Upputholla Mallikarjun and Chemmakar Niranjan, who are stated to be friends of Mallesh.
The CP said Mallesh allegedly hatched a plan with his cousin Mallikarjun and friend Niranjan, who were facing financial difficulties, to commit robberies targeting banks, jewellery shops and wealthy individuals. The group allegedly planned to use firearms during the proposed robberies.
Police said Mallesh subsequently approached Avi Dey and Birbal Shaw, who had allegedly sold him a country-made firearm in 2022. Dey reportedly agreed to purchase stolen Army weapons and ammunition, allegedly offering ₹3 lakh for pistols and ₹5 lakh for long weapons, apart from payment for ammunition.
According to police, Mallesh then contacted Sheshulu, Vinod Kumar and Praveen, with whom he had previously served in the Madras Regiment. They allegedly assisted him in breaking open the locks of the Kote and magazine and removing arms and ammunition on the night of August 30.
During interrogation, police reportedly learnt that Mallesh had been introduced to Birbal Shaw in 2022 when his battalion was posted at Barrackpore in Kolkata. Shaw, who was running a sugarcane juice centre near the unit, allegedly facilitated Mallesh’s purchase of a country-made firearm and a live round from Avi Dey for ₹10,000.
Police said Mallesh had a previous criminal history and was accustomed to a lavish lifestyle. He allegedly intended to extort money from local and other persons. The firearm was reportedly concealed at his father’s house in Achampet and, according to police, was not used in any offence.
The CP further said the investigation indicated that Dey and Shaw were allegedly contacted by Mallesh regarding the proposed sale of stolen Army arms and ammunition and had agreed to purchase them. Dey was also reportedly involved earlier in an arms-related case registered at Khardah police station in West Bengal.
Police alleged that some of the accused who were not directly involved in the theft had knowledge of the plan but did not alert the authorities.
All seven arrested persons are expected to be produced before the court and, if remanded, sent to judicial custody. Further investigation is underway. (pressmediaofindia)
