During his service, Mallesh also served at Barrackpore in West Bengal, a major military cantonment near Kolkata.
Hyderabad:Malkajgiri police are preparing to invoke the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against ex-hawaldar Mallesh in the Bollaram arms theft case. The accused, who was already booked in extortion and theft cases at Achampet and Nagarkurnool police stations, was produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody. Police are likely to seek his custody and file a petition on Monday as part of the ongoing investigation.
Deccan Chronicle enquiries found that Mallesh's criminal record predates his Army service. A police source said he was allegedly involved in extortion and arms theft cases in Achampet and Nagarkurnool even before joining the Army. He joined the Army in 2010 and served in different states before being posted to the Madras Regiment.
During his service, Mallesh also served at Barrackpore in West Bengal, a major military cantonment near Kolkata. A police source told Deccan Chronicle that investigators would examine his activities during the posting, particularly to determine whether he had any exposure to or access to defence-related arms and ammunition establishments.
Investigators believe Mallesh was familiar with the weapons and ammunition stored at the KOTE and knew what he was taking. The source said he removed weapons from one armoury and then specifically selected the corresponding ammunition from another room, indicating familiarity with the storage arrangements and functioning of the establishment.
After stealing the weapons, Mallesh transported them to his hometown, where he was constructing a house. He dug up part of the courtyard and buried the weapons there. He allegedly carried out the concealment discreetly, while his father, who was present at the house, remained unaware of it.
Investigators are also keeping three other suspects on their radar, based on the possibility that Mallesh may have been in contact with them before or after the theft. Police are examining his communications to determine whether anyone else knew about the stolen weapons or assisted in concealing or disposing of them.
Meanwhile, Mallesh's mobile phone is likely to be sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for detailed analysis. At an earlier press conference, DGP C.V. Anand said Mallesh had deleted his WhatsApp chats and call history, which investigators suspect was an attempt to erase evidence.
A source said Mallesh had contacted a Class X schoolmate and allegedly told him that he possessed arms. The schoolmate panicked and disconnected the call. Mallesh also spoke to others about possessing weapons. When asked whether he had contacted anyone to sell them, he reportedly said, "I did not contact anybody yet." However, a police source said investigators believe Mallesh intended to sell the stolen weapons.
An ex-serviceman familiar with such investigations said cracking the case quickly and zeroing in on Mallesh was crucial. Had he not been identified, tracing the weapons would have been extremely difficult, he said.
"Investigators would have been left waiting until the weapons were used in an offence, with the police perhaps alerted only after recovering a shell or bullet from a crime scene. If the weapons and ammunition were sold separately, tracing them would have become even more difficult," the ex-serviceman said.
He added that the grooves and rifling marks inside a firearm barrel can help investigators link a fired bullet to a particular weapon. However, this would become relevant only if a stolen firearm was subsequently used in another offence.
