Bank robbery videos, Army personnel and arms dealers: Bolarum theft probe reveals wider plot

Telangana Director General of Police C.V. Anand, along with senior officers, examines the arms and ammunition stolen from the 20 Madras Regiment premises in Bolarum, Secunderabad Cantonment, displayed during a press conference held in Hyderabad on September 11, 2026. | Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL

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