Army Armoury Theft in Secunderabad Cracked; All Weapons Recovered, Insider Held

A cache of military-grade weapons and ammunition stolen from the Madras Regiment armoury in Secunderabad has been fully recovered, with investigators detaining an insider in connection with the theft, officials familiar with the probe said.

The case was registered on August 31, when a Lieutenant Colonel of the Madras Regiment lodged a complaint at Bollaram Police Station in Hyderabad's Malkajgiri police zone. The complaint stated that locks on two armoury storage rooms, situated roughly 40 metres apart, had been broken open and that a substantial quantity of firearms and ammunition was missing.

Among the items reported stolen were four 7.62x39 mm AK-203 assault rifles, one 5.56 mm INSAS 1B1 rifle, six 9 mm Auto 1A pistols and a 6.35-bore civilian pistol. The inventory also listed 21 magazines, a passive night-vision binocular and more than 1,900 rounds of live ammunition.

The recovery followed a ten-day operation by a joint team drawn from Telangana Counter Intelligence, the Hyderabad Task Force and Malkajgiri Police, working alongside Military Intelligence and central agencies. Investigators initially questioned around ten personnel before narrowing their focus to a smaller set of suspects.

Suspicion increasingly centred on an insider-led operation, with the probe examining how CCTV cameras at the site had been disabled and how night guards were inadequately monitored. The breakthrough came after an insider was detained and questioned.

While the entire stock of missing equipment has been recovered, the investigation is continuing into the transport network used to move the weapons, possible black-market links and the role of each person involved. An official statement setting out arrests and charges is expected shortly.