The AK-47 rifle used by a man to fire at his neighbour's house recently in neighbouring Siddipet in Telangana was allegedly stolen from a police station nearly three years ago, a senior police official said on Tuesday.
During interrogation, the accused told the police that he had stolen the assault weapon and a Carbon rifle from the police station in Siddipet in the early hours of March 13, 2017, Siddipet Police Commissioner (In-Charge) N Shweta told reporters.
A detailed report would be sent to higher officials on the 'negligence' of police personnel on duty in the Husnabad station from where the weapons were stolen, she said.
After the weapons went missing, personnel of the station had registered a case but it remained unsolved.
Devuni Sadanadam, a labourer in Akkannapet village, had allegedly opened fire from the AK-47 at his neighbour's house over a petty issue on February 6, but none was injured with the bullets hitting a wall. He had fled the scene then.
Police later arrested him and recovered the AK-47 and one Carbon rifle from his house and registered a case of attempt to murder.
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The police official said the accused told them that he used to visit the Husnabad station frequently in connection with a financial dispute he had with a person.
According to the in-charge commissioner, he had claimed that on March 13, 2017, the day of Holi festival, when he went to the station around 4 am, no policemen were in sight. He then opened the weapon room and took away the AK-47 and the Carbon rifle.
He had stolen the weapons with the aim of threatening those involved in the dispute but did not use them as the matter was amicably resolved.
Since then, he was hiding the weapons in his house and opened fire from the AK-47 recently, the official said.