Gurgaon: Punjab and Haryana high court has questioned police over the absence of disciplinary or criminal action against police personnel after 32 firearms went missing from the malkhana of Faridabad’s Sector 8 police station, directing Ballabgarh DCP to appear in person on Aug 8 and explain why no officers have been held accountable.The directions came while the high court was hearing the bail plea of arrested accused Amit Kumar, one of the people booked in the alleged inter-state illegal arms network that emerged after the theft of the weapons.Justice Surya Partap Singh observed that the investigation raised serious concerns. “It is very strange that despite the loss of 32 weapons, the in charge of the store room and the SHO of the police station have not been prosecuted,” the court said in its order dated July 8.The court questioned why the personnel escaped prosecution even as private individuals found with the stolen weapons were arrested. In a strongly worded order, it also asked Ballabgarh DCP Pratik Agarwal to explain “under what circumstances the investigation is being conducted in such a shady manner, and why appropriate action should not be initiated against the erring officials.”At a subsequent hearing, DCP Agarwal and the investigating officer, who also heads the Sector 30 crime branch unit, appeared before the court. The matter was then adjourned to Aug 8.The case is among the biggest security breaches reported from a police establishment in Haryana. According to the investigation, Monu, a 22-year-old ITI apprentice posted at Sector 8 police station, allegedly stole the 32 firearms — including service revolvers and foreign-made pistols kept as case property — between Oct 2025 and April 2026 by removing one weapon at a time. The theft came to light in May during a physical verification of the malkhana after discrepancies were noticed in the weapon register.Police alleged that Monu handed the stolen firearms to his maternal cousin Vipin, who passed them on to co-accused Sanjay Sunaria. The weapons were allegedly sold through an interstate network to buyers in Haryana and Rajasthan, including Dharuhera, Bhiwadi, Rewari, Noida, Palwal and Nuh. Among those arrested was Rajasthan resident Keshav Chaudhary, accused of buying three stolen police revolvers from Sunaria for ₹70,000 each. Police have arrested 20 people, including receivers and buyers, and say all 32 firearms have been recovered.The investigation later expanded beyond the arms theft after Monu allegedly confessed during interrogation to the murder of his 19-year-old cousin, Shivam. Police allege Monu and his girlfriend killed Shivam in July last year and disposed of his body in a canal. A separate murder case is under investigation.
