HYDERABAD: Bolarum police of the Malkajgiri commissionerate arrested seven more persons, including three Army personnel, in connection with the theft of arms and ammunition from a military armoury in Bolarum. The prime accused, U Mallesh, has already been arrested and lodged in Chanchalguda prison.
The three Army personnel arrested were 20th Battalion sepoy Konduri Sheshulu, 20th Battalion Kote (weapons storehouse) employee Vinod Kumar and 16th Battalion havaldar Kucharakanti Praveen. The other accused were Avi Dey alias Obi and Birbal Shaw, both from West Bengal, and Upputholla Mallikarjun and Chemmakar Niranjan, friends of Mallesh.
Malkajgiri Commissioner of Police B Sumathi said Mallesh hatched a plan with his cousin Mallikarjun and friend Niranjan, who were facing financial problems, to rob banks, jewellery shops and wealthy persons.
They planned to use firearms for the robberies and approached Avi Dey and Birbal Shaw, who had earlier sold a country-made firearm to Mallesh in 2022. Dey asked them to wait, following which Mallesh planned to steal arms and ammunition from the military armoury.
Mallesh asked Dey and Shaw if they would buy the stolen weapons. Dey agreed to purchase Army arms and ammunition, offering Rs 3 lakh for pistols, Rs 5 lakh for long weapons and an additional amount for ammunition, the CP said.
Mallesh then contacted Sheshulu, Vinod Kumar and Praveen, who had previously worked with him in the Madras Regiment. They allegedly helped him break open the locks of the Kote and magazine and steal arms and ammunition on the night of August 30.
During interrogation, Mallesh told police that in 2022, when his battalion was posted at Barrackpore in Kolkata, he was introduced to Birbal Shaw, who ran a sugarcane juice centre near his unit. Through Shaw, he purchased a country-made firearm and a live round from Avi Dey for Rs 10,000.
Police said Mallesh, who had a previous criminal history and was accustomed to a lavish lifestyle, planned to extort money from local and unknown persons. He concealed the weapon at his father's house in Achampet and did not use it in any offence. He later showed it to his friend and batchmate Praveen, a native of Gundlapottapalli in Jadcherla mandal of Mahabubnagar district.
Sumathi said police found that Dey and Shaw had been contacted by Mallesh about stealing Army arms and ammunition and had agreed to purchase them. Dey had previously been involved in an arms case at Khardah police station in West Bengal.
The CP said the accused who were not directly involved in the theft had helped Mallesh and did not inform officials despite knowing about the plan.
All seven arrested persons will be produced before the court and sent for judicial remand.
