Investigators examining the theft of firearms and ammunition from the armoury of the 20 Madras Regiment at Bolarum in Secunderabad Cantonment have widened the inquiry to supervisory officers, including a Major who commanded the team responsible for securing the facility. The stolen weapons remain untraced more than a week after the theft was reported.
The case was registered at Bollarum police station on 31 August after Lieutenant Colonel Mayank Govitirkar, Adjutant of the 20 Madras Regiment, reported that locks on the Kote (Keeper of Technical Equipment) and the battalion magazine had been forcibly broken. Personnel discovered the breach at about 7.50 a.m. when the stores were opened. The weapons and ammunition had last been physically accounted for at about 6 p.m. on 30 August.
According to the First Information Report, 12 firearms are missing: four 7.62×39 mm AK-203 assault rifles, one 5.56 mm INSAS 1B1 rifle, six 9 mm Auto 1A pistols and a civilian 6.35-bore pistol. Also reported missing are a passive night-vision binocular, 21 magazines and more than 1,800 rounds of ammunition. The official estimate of the stolen property is about ₹15 lakh, though investigators have noted that the cache would command a substantially higher price on the illicit market.
The inquiry is being conducted jointly by the Madras Regiment, Military Intelligence, State Intelligence and Malkajgiri police. The National Investigation Agency has also assisted in examining possible wider ramifications. After more than a week of questioning 10 to 15 personnel linked to guard duty, investigators said they had obtained no decisive breakthrough and therefore moved up the chain of command.
“There are always two guards on rotational shift duty at the armoury, comprising the Kote, where firearms are stored, and the battalion magazine, where ammunition is stored. Their immediate supervisor is a non-commissioned officer of Havildar rank. The supervisory officer who commands the team is a Major,” an investigator said. The Major was stationed at the regiment in Bolarum when the burglary was reported.
A senior police officer said the decision to question NCOs, junior commissioned officers and the Major followed both the absence of progress and the discovery of security lapses. “The burglary of this nature is not possible without anyone from the unit knowing about it,” the officer said.
Those lapses, according to investigators, include an alleged practice of switching off closed-circuit cameras at the armoury during the night, discrepancies in inventory records, and poor maintenance of armoury registers. An empty INSAS rifle magazine recovered during a search shortly after the FIR was registered was confirmed not to form part of the stolen ammunition; Army personnel were nevertheless unable to state to whom it had been issued, citing incomplete records.
The Kote and the battalion magazine stand about 40 to 50 metres apart. Offenders broke locks on both rooms and removed selected weapons from among a larger holding that included light machine guns. Guards posted nearby have said they did not notice the break-in, citing heavy rain that night and a limited line of sight to the doors. Investigators have treated those explanations with scepticism, noting that the stolen items weighed more than 40 kilograms and that the armoury is unmarked, has multiple access points, and is located well inside the premises. Police have repeatedly described the theft as consistent with insider knowledge.
The main body of the battalion, including senior officers, was away at the Pokhran firing range in Rajasthan when the stores were last closed. Early in the inquiry, four persons, including Agniveers and civilian staff, were detained for questioning; officials have not described those detentions as formal arrests. A court of inquiry has been ordered within the Army.
As of 8 September, none of the missing firearms or ammunition had been recovered. Investigators continue to examine telephone records, movement of vehicles captured on cameras around the cantonment, and the possibility that the weapons were removed in stages rather than in a single overnight operation.
The case has been registered under Sections 331(4) and 305 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to house-breaking and theft from a specially protected place. Police and military authorities have not issued a comprehensive public statement on the identity of suspects or the present location of the weapons.
