Police have arrested 37-year-old Upputholla Mallesh, a retired Havildar of the 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment, for allegedly stealing firearms and ammunition from the unit’s Kote and Magazine rooms. Investigators say Mallesh, who served in the Army for 16 years before retiring on June 30, 2026, appears to have carefully planned the operation and later moved the stolen weapons across Telangana.
The stolen cache comprised four AK-203 rifles, one INSAS rifle, seven pistols, magazines, a passive night-vision binocular and nearly 1,900 rounds of ammunition, reports ANI. Police said Mallesh was reportedly disgruntled after his retirement, but investigators are still probing his exact motive.
