Indian Army Major Questioned as Probe Widens in Madras Regiment Armoury Theft; 12 Firearms Missing
Investigators probing the theft of firearms and ammunition from the armoury of the 20 Madras Regiment at Bolarum in Secunderabad Cantonment have expanded the inquiry beyond the guard room and into the unit’s supervisory chain, including a Major who was in charge of the team responsible for securing the facility. More than a week after the breach was reported, none of the missing weapons has been recovered.
The case was registered at Bollarum police station on 31 August after Lieutenant Colonel Mayank Govitirkar, the Adjutant of the 20 Madras Regiment, informed police that the locks of the Kote, or Keeper of Technical Equipment, and the battalion magazine had been forcibly broken open. The break-in was discovered around 7.50 a.m. when the stores were opened, while the weapons and ammunition had last been physically accounted for at about 6 p.m. on 30 August.
The First Information Report lists 12 missing firearms: four 7.62×39 mm AK-203 assault rifles, one 5.56 mm INSAS 1B1 rifle, six 9 mm Auto 1A pistols and one civilian 6.35-bore pistol. Also missing are a passive night-vision binocular, 21 magazines and more than 1,800 rounds of ammunition. The Army’s estimate of the stolen property is about ₹15 lakh, though investigators believe the weapons and ammunition would fetch far more on the illegal market.
The inquiry is being conducted jointly by the Madras Regiment, Military Intelligence, State Intelligence and Malkajgiri police, with the National Investigation Agency also assisting to assess any wider implications. After questioning 10 to 15 personnel connected with guard duty for more than a week without any decisive lead, investigators have now 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 posted at the regiment in Bolarum when the burglary came to light.
A senior police officer said the decision to question NCOs, junior commissioned officers and the Major followed the lack of progress in the probe as well as 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, investigators said, 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. Shortly after the FIR was filed, investigators recovered an empty INSAS rifle magazine during a search. It was confirmed not to be part of the stolen ammunition, but Army personnel could not say to whom it had been issued, citing incomplete records.
The Kote and the battalion magazine are about 40 to 50 metres apart. Offenders broke the locks on both rooms and selected weapons from among a larger stock that also included light machine guns. Guards posted nearby said they did not hear or notice the break-in, blaming heavy rain that night and limited visibility of the doors from their positions. Investigators have treated that explanation with caution, pointing out that the stolen items weighed more than 40 kilograms and that the armoury is unmarked, has multiple access points and sits well inside the unit 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 investigation, four people, including Agniveers and civilian staff, were detained for questioning, though officials have not described those detentions as formal arrests. The Army has also ordered a court of inquiry.
As of 8 September, none of the missing firearms or ammunition had been traced. Investigators are continuing to examine telephone records, the movement of vehicles captured on cameras around the cantonment, and whether the weapons may have been taken out in stages rather than in one overnight operation.
The case has been booked under Sections 331(4) and 305 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deal with house-breaking and theft from a specially protected place. Police and military authorities have not issued a detailed public statement identifying suspects or saying where the weapons may be now.
