Sec’bad Cantt burglars may have smuggled out Army weapons in instalments over time | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: Guards deployed at Madras Regiment’s armoury in Secunderabad Cantonment’s Bollarum have claimed during police interrogation that they failed to notice burglars breaking open the locks and escaping with nearly 40 kilos of high-end arms and ammunition due to heavy rain that night. Four AK-203 assault rifles, one INSAS rifle and seven pistols were stolen late on Sunday along with a huge cache of ammunition.Officials told TOI that the weapons were yet to be recovered 72 hours after the sensational crime was first noticed. Even the sustained questioning of 10 Army personnel has not led to a breakthrough.Though the Army’s complaint stated that the weapons and ammunition were physically accounted for at 6 pm on Aug 30 prior to the closure of the armoury, police officials are not ruling out the possibility of the crime being committed in installments over a period of time.“The stolen arms and ammunition weigh about 40 kg. It is unlikely that guards would not notice such a time-consuming burglary which requires more than one person’s involvement and a four-wheeler to transport the weapons,” said a senior police officer. “We also found out that CCTV cameras at the armoury were switched off every night for the past few months to prevent fire mishaps. There is no no anti-burglary alarm either.”Police investigators are verifying the possibility of the accused dropping the weapons over the compound wall for an associate waiting outside to pick them up. “Special teams are checking CCTV camera feeds within the military area, especially at entry points and also in the surrounding roads. Interrogation has not yielded any positive results and the stolen arms are yet to be located,” said a Malkajgiri police officer.As part of the investigation Malkajgiri police, along with state and central intelligence sleuths and military intelligence officials, have been questioning the Army personnel, including Agniveers, non-commissioned officers, sepoys on guard duty and those who have been deployed in the regiment for a long time. Their questioning is taking place both inside the military zone and also at an undisclosed location outside.During the questioning, police officials found out that guards were present at the armoury at the time of the theft. “The guards claimed that besides the rain, they did not notice the crime in progress because the armoury door was not in their line of sight. We are questioning the guards and their supervisors one by one,” a police officer said.“It is difficult to pinpoint the motive at this stage. However, it appears that a group of soldiers could be involved. We are examining whether there were any issues or disputes among personnel in the recent past that could provide a clue. At the same time, all other possibilities are being thoroughly investigated,” a senior Army officer told TOI.