160 Detonators Found in Bucket Near Secunderabad Military Armoury

Army officials and Bollarum police on Wednesday recovered 160 electric detonators from a private venture in Secunderabad, located close to the military armoury where 12 weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were reported missing on August 30.

The detonators were found packed inside a light green bucket at Golf Enclave. According to investigators, the bucket contained eight bundles, with each bundle holding 20 electric detonators. The discovery occurred when a Subedar-rank officer was inspecting areas near the Kote and the Battalion Magazine, where ammunition is held.

While initial speculation suggested the explosives could be connected to the recent arms theft at the 20 Madras Regiment Army Camp, Malkajgiri DCP Ch Sridhar clarified that the location was not part of the military premises. Police suspect that the private venture site where the bucket was abandoned had been used by real estate developers at least a year ago.

Following an alert, local police teams arrived at the location accompanied by a bomb disposal team and a dog squad. Experts examined the area and confirmed that no suspicious material other than the detonators was found at the site. Bollarum police subsequently seized the 160 detonators and registered a case under Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act.

In parallel, authorities are continuing their investigation into the theft of the weapons and ammunition reported on August 30. Military intelligence and police investigators have been scrutinising CCTV footage and tracking suspicious movements around the military base.

More than 10 Army personnel who were stationed on duty on the day of the theft and the days preceding it have been questioned by investigators, alongside guard-duty staff and other base personnel. Defence officials have also re-verified accounting documents, weapon and ammunition holdings, storage facilities, and registers across adjoining premises, though investigators have yet to determine who took the weapons or precisely when the theft occurred.