Navy Sailor Arrested for Theft of Rifle and Ammunition from Mumbai Base

Mumbai crime branch arrested two brothers, Rakesh and Umesh Dubbala, on suspicion of stealing a rifle and ammunition from the Indian Navy's base in Colaba. The brothers allegedly planned to sell the weapon to Maoists in Telangana. Rakesh, a Class 12th graduate and a member of the Agniveer batch of 2023, entered the secured area posing as a reliever of another sailor and fled with the INSAS rifle and 40 bullets. He later threw the gun over the compound wall, where it was collected by his brother Umesh. Authorities recovered the stolen weapons from the brothers.

Key Takeaways:

• Rakesh Dubbala, 22, and his brother Umesh, 25, were arrested for stealing a rifle and ammunition from the Indian Navy's base in Colaba, Mumbai.
• The brothers are suspected of planning to sell the weapon to Maoists in Telangana.
• Rakesh, a Class 12th graduate, was a member of the Agniveer batch of 2023 and had been posted in Navy Nagar for one-and-a-half years before being transferred to the Navy's Kochi base in February this year.
• The stolen INSAS rifle and 40 bullets were recovered from the brothers after a joint operation by the Mumbai crime branch and the district superintendent of police from Komuram Bheem Asifabad.
• The brothers claimed to have stolen the weapon for fun during preliminary inquiries.
• Rakesh's ID card and his role as a reliever of another sailor were used to gain entry into the secured area.

Statistics:

• 40 bullets were stolen from the Indian Navy's base in Colaba, Mumbai.
• 1 INSAS rifle was stolen from the Indian Navy's base in Colaba, Mumbai.
• 1-and-a-half years is the duration of Rakesh Dubbala's posting in Navy Nagar before being transferred to the Navy's Kochi base.
• 2 brothers, Rakesh and Umesh Dubbala, were arrested for stealing the rifle and ammunition.
• 2023 is the year the Agniveer batch of which Rakesh was a member was enrolled.

Sources:

• TOI
• Inputs from Sushil Rao in Hyderabad