3 serving Army personnel among 7 arrested in Telangana arms theft case: Police

Seven people have been arrested in connection with the theft of firearms from an Army premises in Secunderabad Cantonment, Telangana. According to the Hindustan Times, the case came to light on August 31, when Army personnel at the 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment, Bollaram, found that the locks of the arms store and Magazine had been broken.

The Hindu reports that a former Havaldar, Upputholla Mallesh, is alleged to have masterminded the theft, which occurred on August 30, 2026. Mallesh had built a network of serving Army personnel, prospective robbers, and alleged arms dealers before the theft.

Three serving Army personnel are among those arrested, with The Hindu providing further details on Mallesh's background, including his Army career and alleged criminal history prior to joining the force.

Brief written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times, The Hindu — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.