Bolarum Arms Theft: Seven More Held; Accused Planned to Sell Weapons In West Bengal
Of the seven arrested, three are serving Indian Army personnel while the rest are civilians, said police.
Published : October 3, 2026 at 3:24 PM IST
|Updated : October 3, 2026 at 7:39 PM IST
Hyderabad: Seven more persons, including three serving Army personnel, were on Saturday arrested in a case pertaining to theft of weapons and ammunition from a unit of the Indian Army's Madras Regiment in Telangana's Bollarum.
Malkajgiri Commissioner of Police B Sumathi revealed details pertaining to the the case. She said the accused Seshu, Vinod, Praveen, Niranjan, Mallikarjun, Birbal Shah and Avi Dey were arrested based on the details given by the main accused Mallesh. The three serving Army personnel are Konduri Sheshulu (36), a sepoy; Vinod Kumar (34), a Naik and Kucharakanthi Parveen (37), a Havaldar. The other accused, Niranjan, Mallikarjun, Birbal Shah and Avi Dey are civilians.
Mallesh, a retired Havaldar of the 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment, allegedly planned the theft with the others and explored selling the stolen military weapons to contacts in West Bengal.
Police said Mallesh, who is in custody for the last 10 days, had received training in handling weapons and ammunition when he joined the Indian Army in 2009. Reports indicate that he was responsible for managing the armory at whichever cantonment he was posted. Investigation revealed he had faced disciplinary action from senior officers on several occasions due to negligence in duty.
Police said Mallesh grew resentful after he was refused an opportunity for an additional three years of service following the completion of his initial 16-year tenure. While stationed at Barrackpore Cantonment in Kolkata in 2022, Mallesh became acquainted with Birbal Shah, who ran a sugarcane juice centre nearby.
Birbal introduced Mallesh to Awal Dey—alias 'OB'—who was involved in illegal procurement and sale of firearms across the country. In order to ascertain whether OB was indeed a smuggler, Mallesh purchased a gun from him for Rs 10,000. He reportedly attempted to use the weapon to threaten people and commit highway robberies. Investigation revealed since it was not feasible to use the gun in Kolkata, he hid it in his native village instead.
Mallesh, who had been under suspension for some time, resumed duty in Barrackpore in 2023. Subsequently, in June 2025, he was transferred to the Madras Regiment unit in Bollarum. He resided in a rented house in Yapral with his wife and children.
During the period, he began constructing a house on a vacant plot he owned in Nagarkurnool. It is reported that he undertook the construction by availing a loan, anticipating his retirement benefits. Later, he purchased another plot worth approximately Rs 8 lakh in Nagarkurnool area. Police said as financial pressure mounted due to the house construction and the plot purchase, he devised a plan to steal Army weapons to alleviate his financial burden.
He initially planned the theft with his childhood friends, Niranjan and Mallikarjun. Investigation revealed Mallesh had watched web series and videos depicting robberies at banks and jewellery stores and shared them with his friends.
Police said the videos inspired him to steal Army weapons. Although he had formulated the plan in 2025, he altered his strategy when Niranjan and Mallikarjun refused to participate in it. In July this year, Mallesh conducted multiple reconnaissance missions at the 20th Battalion of the Madras Regiment and enlisted the help of Seshu—who worked there—and his batchmate, Praveen.
Mallesh frequently approached Seshu with the aim of stealing weapons and ammunition stored in the headquarters' armory. He also asked Vinod, another employee to assist in the theft. Investigation revealed Seshu handed over Rs 1 lakh to Vinod at the football ground for the purpose, and the latter reportedly agreed to participate.
As planned, the CCTV cameras were disabled a week prior to the theft. On the day of the incident, Mallesh sprayed foam over the cameras, while Praveen and Seshu turned off the lights to assist him.
Police said Seshu and Praveen diverted the attention of other soldiers while Mallesh spent around an hour and a half moving the weapons. Mallesh reportedly revealed during interrogation that he first transported the arms and ammunition on a two-wheeler and later in a car to his home in Nagarkurnool, where he hid them.
Reports indicate during interrogation, Mallesh admitted that Praveen (from the 16th Battalion of the Madras Regiment) and Seshu and Vinod (from the 20th Battalion) assisted him in the theft of the weapons.
Police said after the theft, Mallesh contacted Birbal Shah in Kolkata. Through Birbal, he struck a deal to supply the stolen weapons to Awal Dey, alias 'OB'. It appears Birbal demanded Rs 5 lakh for four AK-47s and ₹3 lakh for the pistols. However, full clarity regarding exactly how many of the stolen weapons were sold and who received them is yet to be established.
Police said Birbal had moved from Bangladesh to Kolkata and was residing there. The investigation is also examining whether Birbal Shah and 'OB' operate an illegal arms network across the country. Sumathi denied any terrorism angle in the case.
Also Read
Police Probe Reveals Links Of Madras Regiment Armoury Theft Accused To Gun Dealers
