Twelve military-grade weapons disappeared from a heavily guarded Army armoury in Bollarum on August 30, and investigators say the alleged thief knew the premises well enough to turn an Activa scooter into his getaway vehicle.

The accused, 37-year-old retired havildar Upputholla Mallesh, allegedly entered the armoury of the Madras Regiment and made off with five assault rifles, seven pistols and ammunition. Police said he later concealed the weapons in an open field in Nagarkurnool district, around 185 km from Bollarum, hiding them beneath stacks of hay.

Mallesh’s familiarity with the Army establishment appears to have played a crucial role in the alleged theft.

He had served in the 20th battalion of the Madras Regiment for 16 years and was well acquainted with the cantonment’s terrain as well as the functioning of the armoury.

Investigators said Mallesh did not act impulsively. He allegedly conducted a two-day recce of the armoury on August 28 and 29, before carrying out the theft on the night of August 30.

Officers said he was able to exploit his knowledge of the premises to remove the weapons from the heavily guarded cantonment and transport them on his Activa scooter.

Police are examining whether the theft was driven by revenge. Mallesh had reportedly been dismissed from his post-retirement job with the Army in June for indiscipline, and investigators suspect that his resentment towards his superiors may have prompted him to target the armoury.

However, senior police officers have maintained that the exact motive has not yet been conclusively established and remains part of the investigation.

The breakthrough came during the questioning of Mallesh’s wife and father-in-law.

According to investigators, his wife subsequently confronted him about the alleged theft and compelled him to surrender before the authorities.

Mallesh then assisted investigators in locating the stolen weapons, leading police to the Nagarkurnool field where the arms had been hidden beneath hay.

Telangana DGP CV Anand said on Friday that Mallesh had been arrested and all the stolen weapons recovered.

The recovery brought an end to a high-security armoury theft that had raised questions over how an individual familiar with the Army’s systems could allegedly remove such a large cache of weapons from a cantonment.

While the weapons have now been recovered, investigators are continuing to establish why Mallesh targeted the armoury, how exactly he executed the theft and whether anyone else was involved.