Telangana weapons heist cracked, it was an inside job, say cops - The Indian Express
Telangana police have cracked the Secunderabad Cantonment arms heist case and traced the weapons to a location in Hyderabad, The Indian Express has learnt. Officers have also confirmed that it was an inside job. Details on the probe’s findings are awaited.
Twelve weapons, including four AK-203 assault rifles, seven pistols and an INSAS rifle, were found stolen from the high-security Secunderabad Cantonment near Hyderabad on the morning of August 31. More than 1,000 rounds of ammunition and a pair of passive night-vision binoculars were also found missing.
A senior Army officer lodged a police complaint with the Bollaram police station in Malkajgiri commissionerate, saying the theft was detected when the ammunition storage was found open and the locks broken.
The probe into the heist revealed that the weapons and ammunition were last physically accounted for at 6 pm on August 30, before the closing of Kote – Keeper of Technical Equipment – and Battalion Magazine.
“The Kote is always guarded and the guards maintain that they have not seen a break-in. Also, when we checked the records of the armoury, it was found that these were not maintained,” a senior police officer said, adding that weapons in an armoury are supposed to be accounted for each evening.
The Indian Express had earlier reported that senior Army officers questioned a senior officer from one of the units of the 20 Madras Regiment in connection with the arms heist. Telangana Police officers also questioned the officer. The officer was questioned because the armoury’s books or registers were allegedly not maintained for months.
Nikhila Henry is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Hyderabad. With a career spanning 17 years, she has established herself as an authoritative voice on South Indian affairs, specialising in the complex intersections of politics, education, and social justice. Experience & Career: Nikhila commenced her journalism career in 2007 as an education correspondent for The Times of India in Hyderabad,where she gained recognition for her coverage of student politics. Her professional trajectory includes a four-year tenure at The Hindu, where she focused on minority affairs and social welfare. In 2019, she took on a leadership role as the South Bureau Chief for The Quint, where she directed regional coverage across all five South Indian states. Her expansive career also includes a tenure at the BBC in New Delhi and contributions to prestigious international outlets such as The Sunday Times (London) and HuffPost India. Expertise & Focus Areas Nikhila’s reportage is marked by a deep-seated understanding of grassroots movements and institutional policy. Her core focus areas include: Regional Politics: Comprehensive analysis of the socio-political dynamics across South India. Education & Student Movements: Chronicling the evolution of Indian academics and the rise of youth activism. Minority Affairs: Rigorous reporting on the welfare, rights, and challenges facing marginalized communities. National Beat: Elevating regional stories to national prominence through investigative and on-ground reporting. Authoritativeness & Trust A respected figure in Indian media, Nikhila is not only a seasoned reporter but also an accomplished author and editor. She authored the critically acclaimed book The Ferment: Youth Unrest in India and edited Caste is Not a Rumour, a collection of writings by Rohith Vemula. Her dual background in daily news reporting and long-form authorship allows her to provide readers with a nuanced, historically-informed perspective on contemporary Indian society. Find all stories by Nikhila Henry here. ... Read More
