Hyderabad: The former Army Havildar, who was arrested in the Bollarum arms theft case, has claimed that eight people helped him execute the theft.
The accused, U Mallesh, was questioned regarding the theft of 12 firearms and over 1,800 rounds of ammunition from the 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment premises at Bollarum. During the interrogation, Mallesh reportedly revealed that eight people, including security guards, had helped him steal the weapons.
According to a report by The Hindu, Mallesh had earlier claimed that he acted by himself. The investigation also revealed that Mallesh’s issues with his seniors were a factor in the theft.
The ex-havildar was looking for prospective buyers for the weapons after the theft. The investigators are now probing the angle as part of the investigation.
On September 22, Mallesh was taken into police custody after a Secunderabad court granted investigators 10 days to interrogate him regarding the theft, to know the motive behind the theft and the possible involvement of others. The ex-havildar’s custody ends on October 1.
Mallesh, 37, a native of Jangam Reddy Pally in Amrabad in Nagar Kurnool district, was arrested on September 11.
Mallesh was posted in 20 Bn, Madras Regiment, in Bolarum. He joined the Indian Army in 2010, worked for 16 years, and retired on June 30, 2026. It is suspected that Mallesh resorted to stealing arms due to frustration over early retirement.
As per his plan, on the intervening night of August 30 and 31, the accused allegedly went to the armoury at 11 pm, stole weapons and ammunition from the Kote room and magazine room.
