Weeks before stealing firearms from the Army premises at Bolarum in Secunderabad Cantonment, former Havaldar Upputholla Mallesh allegedly shared bank robbery videos with his cousin and an associate, asking them to study how such heists were carried out. Investigators now say he had built a network comprising serving Army personnel, prospective robbers and alleged arms dealers before the theft on August 30, 2026.

The details emerged during Mallesh’s police custody from September 22 to October 1. Malkajgiri Police Commissioner B. Sumathi said that financial difficulties following his retirement, a grudge against superiors and coupled with a penchant for ‘quick money’ eventually led him to consider armed robberies.

Mallesh joined the Army as a sepoy in 2010 and served in various parts of the country including West Bengal, Meghalaya and. He later served with the 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment, in Secunderabad, Telangana.

His criminal history, however, predated his Army career. Police said Mallesh was involved in two theft cases before joining the force and was allegedly known as a property offender under the alias ‘Raju’. Investigators suspect the alias could have been why the cases were not flagged during his Army enrolment.

Retirement money exhausted

After retirement, Mallesh allegedly spent his money on constructing a house, purchasing a plot in Nagarkurnool and buying a Maruti Suzuki Brezza. As the money ran out, investigators said he struggled to meet family expenses and maintain his lifestyle.

Mallesh then allegedly approached his cousin Upputholla Mallikarjun about committing robberies using firearms. The retired Havaldhar’s friend Chemmakar Niranjan was subsequently brought into the plan. The three had allegedly been involved in smaller robberies earlier.

Mallesh, who already possessed a country-made firearm concealed at his father’s house in Achampet, allegedly began sharing bank robbery videos with Mallikarjun and Niranjan to learn how such crimes were executed. Niranjan also allegedly discussed robbing banks and extorting businessmen and politicians.

Mallesh initially tried to procure two pistols through arms dealers Birbal Shaw and Avi Dey alias Obi, his contacts from West Bengal. Dey, who had allegedly supplied him the country-made firearm earlier, told him it would take around two months to arrange the pistols. Investigators said Mallesh then decided to steal weapons from his former Army unit.

Six recce visits before theft

Mallesh allegedly conducted reconnaissance of the Bolarum premises at least six times and knew that CCTV cameras there were under repair.

Police said he befriended sepoy Konduri Sheshulu and, through him, became close to Naik Vinod Kumar, the Kote in-charge and his former colleague. Vinod allegedly provided details about the Kote, guard positions and sentry duties. Cell tower data also showed Mallesh and Vinod meeting multiple times, according to investigators.

Mallesh allegedly told Sheshulu about the proposed theft when they met on August 22 and asked him to keep it secret. On August 30, he contacted Sheshulu and allegedly deleted WhatsApp chats and call records. He visited Sheshulu’s house before proceeding to the Army premises.

Sheshulu had visited the Kote on August 24, August 29 and again on the morning of August 30. Investigators also found that he was following social media accounts suspected to have Pakistani links, an aspect now being examined.

‘Kaam ho gaya’

Another serving soldier and his batchmate, Havaldar Kucharakanti Praveenof the 16 Battalion, Madras Regiment, allegedly knew of Mallesh’s plan as early as July. Police said Mallesh discussed the proposed theft with the batchmate between July 6 and July 28.

Around midnight on August 31, Mallesh allegedly called Praveen and said, ‘kaam ho gaya’ (the work is done). Investigators are also probing Praveen as a prospective purchaser of the weapons.

Police said Dey had expressed interest in purchasing and dealing in long weapons, while Shaw allegedly acted as a broker for his arms deals. Dey and Mallesh were in contact between August 6 and August 24. Dey also has an earlier Arms Act case against him. Shaw was separately found browsing websites suspected to have Pakistani links, though investigators have not established a connection between the online browsing and the theft.