Hyderabad: As investigators struggled for days to crack the sensational Madras Regiment firearms theft, Army officials allegedly turned to an unlikely source for clues–an occult practitioner recommended by one of the accused Army personnel, who is now suspected to have used the episode to divert suspicion and shield the real culprit.
It was during this period that K Sheshulu (36), a sepoy posted at the Madras Regiment in Bollarum and now an accused in the case, allegedly attempted to mislead his superiors by suggesting the help of an occult practitioner from his native place, according to police. Police said Army officials were unaware of this connection at the time and therefore could not draw any link between the name suggested by the practitioner and the actual suspect.
Sheshulu used the trick to avoid suspicion and divert the attention his superior officers,” a Malkajgiri police officer said. During the initial phase of the investigation, officials from the Madras Regiment, military intelligence, and Telangana police examined footage from hundreds of CCTV cameras and questioned several Army personnel. However, the exercise failed to yield any significant leads. The practitioner, who is a cousin of Sheshulu, allegedly gave the name ‘Raju’ to the JCO at Sheshulu’s instructions. As it was a fake name, the JCO’s effort yielded no result. What has added intrigue to the case is that ‘Raju’ happens to be an alias allegedly used by the prime accused, Mallesh.