Ex-havildar kept stolen pistol at home to woo buyers, say police
Malkajgiri police took Mallesh (37) into custody from Chanchalguda prison on Sept 22 and have since been questioning him about the circumstances surrounding the theft and the possible involvement of others. During interrogation, Mallesh reportedly told investigators that after serving in the Madras Regiment for 16 years, he was discharged on June 30 against his wishes on grounds of health and indiscipline. Investigators said Mallesh kept the stolen 9 mm pistol and a magazine containing 10 live rounds at his rented house to display them to buyers. The remaining cache, including four AK-206 rifles, an INSAS rifle, six pistols and ammunition, was allegedly buried in a pit on the premises of his father’s house in Achampet, Nagarkurnool district. Based on his confession, police recovered the entire stolen haul after his arrest on Sept 11.
The dismissal left him embittered, according to police. By selling weapons, he wanted to make up for the loss of three years of service,” said a police officer. Hyderabad : The investigation into the sensational theft of firearms from the Madras Regiment armoury has uncovered possible insider links, with arrested ex-havildar U Mallesh reportedly telling investigators that he remained in regular contact with four Army personnel on security duty and used information gathered from them to plan and execute the burglary. Police are now probing whether members of the regiment actively assisted him and whether he had established links with potential buyers for the stolen weapons. “He wanted to work for three more years, and after the removal from service, he bore a grudge against superior officers. He wanted to trouble the officers by stealing weapons. Also, Mallesh checked on social media platforms regarding demand for advanced firearms and ammunition from anti-social elements.