A cache of weapons, including AK-203 assault rifles, pistols, magazines and passive night-vision binoculars, has been stolen from the highly secured storage facility of the Madras Regiment in Secunderabad, raising concerns within the Indian Army. A case has been registered at the Bolarum police station.
According to police, the missing weapons include four 7.62x39 mm AK-203 assault rifles with five magazines, one 5.56 mm INSAS 1B1 rifle with three magazines, six 9 mm Auto 1A pistols with 12 magazines, and one 6.35-bore civilian pistol with a magazine.
The complaint was filed by Lieutenant Colonel Mayank Govitirkar from the 20th Battalion of the Madras Regiment.
According to the FIR, the theft came to light around 7.50 am on September 1 when officials found that the storage facility had been broken into. The weapons and ammunition had last been physically accounted for at around 6 pm on August 30, before the facility was locked.
“The circumstances and exact time of disappearance/theft are presently not known,” the complaint stated.
Police suspect that the theft could have involved someone with access to the facility. The 12 personnel tasked with guarding the storage facility have reportedly been taken in for questioning.
Based on the complaint, Bolarum police registered a case under sections 331(4) (house-breaking) and 305 (theft in a building used for custody of property) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The storage facility has been sealed while police and army authorities investigate the incident.