Bolarum arms theft accused questioned for six hours on first day of custody
Retired Havaldar U. Mallesh was questioned for about six hours on the first day of his 10-day police custody in the Bolarum arms theft case.
Retired Army Havaldar U. Mallesh, the accused in the theft of firearms and ammunition from the 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment, in Bolarum, was questioned for around six hours on Tuesday — the first day of his 10-day police custody.
Investigators began the interrogation at noon and continued until 6 p.m. at the Bolarum Police Station. Officials said Mallesh has been cooperating with the investigation, though no fresh leads have emerged from the questioning so far.
Military officers are expected to share inputs and suggest specific lines of questioning as the interrogation moves forward, sources indicated. They will not, however, be directly involved in the probe.
During the custody period, Mallesh may also be taken to the SOT office, the Commissioner's Office and the NIA office for questioning.
The custody was granted by a Secunderabad court, which handed Hyderabad police 10 days with the accused.
The case relates to the theft of 12 firearms and more than 1,800 rounds of ammunition from the 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment, in Bolarum on the night of August 30. The stolen cache comprised four AK-203 assault rifles, an INSAS 1B1 rifle, six 9 mm Auto 1A pistols and a 6.35-bore pistol.
Mallesh was arrested on September 11 after police recovered the stolen firearms and ammunition. He has maintained that he acted alone.