Sources in the Malkajgiri police said search teams scouring the area as part of the probe into the missing weapons discovered at least 160 detonators of 33A size, packed 20 to a bundle, in a bucket placed against the firing range's boundary wall. A bomb disposal squad was immediately called in to examine the detonators.

While a case has been registered at the Bollarum police station, probe teams are also verifying whether the detonators were purchased or stored for industrial use, since they are commonly used in mining activities. A case has been registered under Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act against unidentified persons.

Army and investigating teams are baffled that the perpetrators took away ammunition that exactly matched the specific weapons they stole. Based on this, police believe the theft was carried out with meticulous planning and could only have been the work of people with thorough knowledge of weapons. The team has already identified four staff members of the battalion and begun questioning them.

To the surprise of probe agencies, staff who were on guard duty that night reported hearing no suspicious sounds, even though the perpetrators had broken open two locks. They are also examining the staff members social media accounts, phones, and computers to look into the possibility of a honey-trap.

Police have cordoned off the area and intensified search operations in and around the cantonment. The discovery of detonators has put Hyderabad police on high alert, prompting mock drills at several locations. Secunderabad houses major Indian Army combat divisions, administrative headquarters, and premier training establishments, and falls under the operational jurisdiction of the Southern Command, headquartered in Pune.

A multi-agency investigation involving military intelligence, other central agencies, senior Telangana police officials, and Telangana Counter Intelligence is currently underway into the theft of service weapons and ammunition from the 20th Battalion of the Madras Regiment (20 Madras), stationed at the high-security military area of Bollarum in Secunderabad Cantonment.

The theft, which came to light recently, involved service firearms, magazines, ammunition, and a night-vision device stolen from a secured Army storage facility within the cantonment. Among the missing items were five assault rifles, including AK-203 and INSAS rifles, seven pistols, 21 magazines, and rounds of ammunition.

According to a complaint filed by Lieutenant Colonel Mayank Govitirkar of the Madras Regiment's 20th Battalion at Bollarum police station, the weapons and ammunition were last physically accounted for on August 30. The next day, army personnel found the locks on the high-security weapons storage room broken, with several firearms and rounds of ammunition missing. A magazine was also recovered near the regiment's boundary wall, and investigators are examining whether the stolen weapons were thrown over it.

As per the FIR, the theft was detected on August 31, 2026, at approximately 7:50 am, when the locks on the "Kote and Battalion Magazine" (ammunition storage) were found broken during a routine inspection.