Three soldiers among seven more held in Bolarum arms theft; police say weapons were meant for a string of robberies
Indian police have arrested seven additional individuals, including three serving Army personnel, in connection with a military arms theft in Secunderabad. Authorities allege the weapons were intended for a criminal conspiracy involving bank and jewelry store robberies.
Why it matters
The involvement of active-duty military personnel in a criminal plot raises significant security and internal discipline concerns for the armed forces.
The theft of military weapons from the Madras Regiment premises at Bolarum, Secunderabad Cantonment, was allegedly part of a wider plot to rob banks, jewellery shops and wealthy individuals, police said on Saturday (October 3, 2026), marking a significant turn in the investigation after arrested former Havaldar Upputholla Mallesh had initially claimed that he acted alone.
Seven more persons, including three serving Army personnel, were arrested in the case. The Malkajgiri Police said 37-year-old 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.
The three serving Army personnel arrested are 36-year-old Konduri Sheshulu, a Sepoy; 34-year-old Vinod Kumar, a Naik, and 37-year-old Kucharakanthi Praveen, a Havaldar.
While Sheshulu and Vinod Kumar are from Markapuram in Andhra Pradesh, Praveen is from Gundlapottapalli in Mahabubnagar district, Telangana.
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