HYDERABAD: Assault rifles, pistols, magazines, ammunition and a passive night-vision binocular have been stolen from a highly secured Army ammunition storage facility of the Madras Regiment in Secunderabad, with the theft coming to light on August 31 morning, Bollaram police said.
According to the FIR, five assault rifles, seven pistols, 21 magazines and ammunition, besides a passive night-vision binocular, were missing from the storage facility.
The missing weapons include four 7.62x39 mm AK-203 assault rifles with five magazines and one 5.56 mm INSAS 1B1 rifle with three magazines. The stolen pistols comprise six 9 mm Auto 1A pistols with 12 magazines and one 6.35-bore civilian pistol with one magazine.
The theft was detected around 7.50 am on Monday, when the Kote and Battalion Magazine, where weapons and ammunition are stored, was opened and the locks found broken.
Police suspect inside job in arms theft
The weapons and ammunition had last been physically accounted for at 6 pm on August 30, before the facility was closed. “The circumstances and exact time of disappearance/theft are presently not known,” the complaint stated.
According to a police source, the theft could have been committed by insiders, and definitely more than one person, considering the quantity of the arms stolen.
On discovering the discrepancy, Army authorities re-verified the complete weapon and ammunition holdings and the relevant accounting documents. Authorised storage areas and adjoining premises were searched, while issue and receipt registers and other records were checked.
Personnel with authorised access to the storage and custody area were identified and questioned. The area concerned was also secured and sealed wherever necessary, and the unit initiated an internal inquiry to establish the circumstances leading to the loss.
The nature of the missing articles has raised concerns about their possible unauthorised possession, misuse or movement. The Army has requested urgent action to trace the weapons and ammunition and identify those responsible.
A 36-year-old Lieutenant Colonel, Mayank Govitirkar of the Madras Regiment’s 20th Battalion, later lodged a complaint with the Bollaram police.
Based on the complaint, police registered a case under Sections 331(4) (house-breaking) and 305 (theft in a building used for custody of property) of the BNS.
A senior police official said a detailed investigation was under way. The Bollaram police are investigating the case in coordination with Army authorities.
Army officials have said the unit would extend full cooperation to the investigating agency.
