One of Two Suspects Who Stole Rifles from Cantonment Army Officer, Says MP Police

Bhopal: One of the two men who stole loaded INSAS rifles from the Army cantonment in Pachmarhi in Madhya Pradesh early Friday is a serving Army officer, a police officer said on Saturday night, adding that the duo have sneaked into neighbouring Maharashtra.

Earlier, it was believed that the duo posed as Army officers to commit the crime at the Army camp in Hoshangabad district.

In a major security breach, the two men had decamped with the rifles of sentries and ammunition in early hours of December 6, prompting police to issue a high alert.

As per preliminary investigation, they spent nearly two hours at the cantonment where they misled the sentries into obeying their 'orders', according to another officer.

"According to our inputs, the location of the suspects was in Maharashtra some hours back. We don't have the latest location now," a high-ranking police officer privy to investigation told PTI on Saturday night.

He said one of the duo who has been identified is a serving officer of the Indian Army, while the identity of his accomplice is being established.

"The Army officer has been absent from duty from an Army unit in Hoshiarpur in Punjab since October 14," he said, adding that the runaway officer had undergone training at Pachmarhi for ten months.

The police officer, however, refused to explain how the two suspects managed to cross into Maharashtra at a time when a high alert was sounded in Madhya Pradesh.

Eleven years ago, Maharashtra's capital Mumbai was attacked by fidayen terrorists from Pakistan. According to sources in police, the duo had got down from the SUV at the cantonment in early Friday and ordered the sentry at the checkpost to summon other jawans for an assembly. They sent another sentry to call a JCO (Junior Commissioned Officer) from the camp.

While the two sentries rushed to obey the orders leaving the posts unguarded, the duo picked up their INSAS assault rifles loaded with magazines having 20 cartridges and fled, they said.

Police have already obtained CCTV footages revealing that the duo had boarded a train in Jabalpur to reach Pipariya railway station in Hoshangabad district and hired an SUV to reach Pachmarhi, a distance of 55 kms from Pipariya, an officer had said.

The duo travelled back to the railway station in the same vehicle after committing the theft in early hours of Friday.

Hoshangabad district police, under whose jurisdiction Pachmarhi falls, have obtained a CCTV grab of the accused in hooded sweatshirts from a dhaba in Pachmarhi.

"We have the CCTV footage of the accused wearing hooded sweatshirts who got their food packed from the dhaba before committing the theft," Hoshangabad superintendent of police ML Chhari told PTI earlier in the day.

The CCTV grab shows suspects wearing hooded sweatshirt of black and yellow colours.

"The SUV driver told us that the duo spoke to each other in a Punjabi accent," the SP said. He said the duo travelled back to Pipariya railway station after committing the crime in the same car.

However, what is emerging as a hurdle for the police is unavailability of CCTV cameras at Pipariya railway station.

"Prima facie, the duo entered the Army camp around 1.30 am and left around 3.13 am on Friday," the SP said, adding that multiple agencies are working on the case.

Additional Director General (ADG) of Police (Intelligence) Dr SW Naqvi had said that the police obtained CCTV footages revealing that the duo travelled to Pipariya railway station from Jabalpur.

"We are yet to find out how (and where) they escaped from the railway station after the crime," he said.

Following Friday's incident, security was stepped up at vital establishments in the central Indian state.