Secunderabad armory weapons stolen (Image for representation)
Police officers confirmed that the weapons were smuggled out of the high-security cantonment area.
Senior police officers told TOI that by Tuesday afternoon, Army authorities had detained four persons, including those recruited under the Agniveer scheme and civilian staff, for their alleged involvement in the crime, but refused to provide further details. “In view of the nature of the missing articles, particularly the service weapons and ammunition, there is a possibility of their unauthorised possession, misuse or movement,” a complaint filed with police by an officer of the Madras Regiment said. Officers said such a crime could only have involved insiders, given the security around armouries.
It was not clear till late Tuesday whether they had been recovered. Bollaram police registered an FIR for house break-in.
A verification of records confirmed that the weapons were missing.
“A court of inquiry has been ordered to investigate the matter and find out the exact motive behind this act and the sequence of events,” a senior Army officer told TOI. The theft took place when the main body of the battalion, including the commanding officer and other senior officers along with most of the troops, had gone for field firing at the Pokhran firing range in Rajasthan, another senior Army officer said. The unit’s second-in-command, a lieutenant colonel, was in charge at the time. Some of the boxes in which the weapons had been stored had been broken into.
It was on Monday morning that Madras Regiment officers noticed the armoury door was open.
A number of persons are being questioned,” a source close to the investigation said. “Every single part of a rifle is accounted for after the weapon is taken out of the armoury and brought back. Under such circumstances, stealing a weapon is not possible without insider help.