Mallesh negotiates with Bangladesh arms dealer
HYDERABAD: A former Army havildar allegedly went astray after stealing sophisticated weapons and attempting to sell them to foreign buyers. His plans came to light unexpectedly, leading to his arrest by the police.
Police took former havildar Upputholla Mallesh, who allegedly stole weapons from the Madras Regiment in Bolarum, into custody for 10 days and questioned him. Investigators said they gathered key information from him.
Mallesh bought gun to carry out robberies
Mallesh, a native of Udimilla village in Nagarkurnool district, was allegedly involved in house burglaries in the Amrabad and Achampet areas before joining the Army in 2010. He had committed the offences in 2007. After being selected for the Army, he took care to ensure that the cases against him did not come to the notice of officials.
After joining the Army, Mallesh was posted to armouries whenever he was transferred to different cantonments. He faced disciplinary action several times for negligence in performing his duties and for disregarding the instructions of senior officers.
In 2022, while posted at the Barrackpore cantonment in Kolkata, he was suspended after allegedly behaving rudely with a senior officer.
During his posting there, he became acquainted with a sugarcane juice vendor named Birbal near the unit. Birbal introduced Mallesh to a Bangladesh national, Aulshtai alias Obi, who allegedly collected and sold firearms smuggled into India.
Mallesh paid Obi ₹10,000 to buy a gun. He later tried to use it to rob people passing by at night but failed. He then hid the gun in his native village. After his suspension was revoked, he rejoined Barrackpore in 2023.
Financial problems, grudge led to theft plan
Mallesh was transferred to the Madras Regiment in Bolarum in June last year. He rented a house in Yapral with his family.
Four years ago, he had started constructing a house on his own plot near Sripuram in Nagarkurnool district. He also bought another plot there for ₹8 lakh.
Mallesh had served in different places for 16 years and had another three years of service left. However, frequent disputes with senior officers at Bolarum led him to take voluntary retirement.
Police said Mallesh then decided that stealing weapons was the only way to deal with his financial problems and take revenge on a senior officer.
Childhood friends reject robbery plan
Mallesh discussed a plan with his childhood friends Niranjan and Mallikarjun to steal weapons and use them to rob banks and jewellery shops. When the two refused to cooperate, he changed his strategy.
In July this year, Mallesh conducted reconnaissance several times at the 20 Battalion of the Madras Regiment. He enlisted the help of Sheshu and Praveen, who were working there.
₹1 lakh advance, CCTV cameras covered with foam
Mallesh approached a jawan named Sheshu to steal weapons from the armoury. He also asked another jawan, Vinod, who worked there, to assist him.
Through Sheshu, Mallesh paid Vinod an advance of ₹1 lakh. Vinod then disabled the CCTV cameras from a week before the theft, police said.
On the day of the theft, Mallesh sprayed foam on the CCTV cameras. Praveen and Sheshu switched off the lights in the premises. For about one-and-a-half hours, while the weapons were being moved, Sheshu and Praveen allegedly diverted the attention of jawans on duty.
Police said Mallesh admitted that Praveen, Sheshu and Vinod helped transport the stolen firearms and ammunition to his house.
After stealing the weapons, Mallesh allegedly contacted Birbal in Kolkata, police said. Investigators gathered evidence that he reached an agreement through Birbal to sell the weapons to Obi in Bangladesh.
Police said the investigation revealed that Birbal had sought ₹5 lakh for the four AK-47 rifles and ₹3 lakh for the pistols.
Six police teams have been deployed to trace Birbal and Obi, who have emerged as key figures in the case.
