Army soldier arrested with rifle and cartridges, was addicted to gaming app

Army soldier arrested: An army soldier who fled with a rifle and cartridges from Assam has been arrested. He was heavily indebted due to his addiction to a gaming app and stole the rifle and cartridges to pay off his debts.

An army soldier who was addicted to online gaming and became bankrupt stole a rifle and cartridges from Assam and fled. According to Khateema’s Kotwal MS Dasuni, Suraj Chandra Joshi, a resident of Banlekh Nandkuli Champawat, who was recruited in 2020, was part of a team of 11 jawans who were going to Dimapur, Assam, to deliver rations. During this time, he fled with the rifle and cartridges from the vehicle. A case was registered against him under the Arms Act. On Wednesday, the army arrested him from a hotel in Khateema using his mobile location.

INSAS Rifle is the Army’s Main Weapon

The INSAS rifle is also known as a Light Machine Gun (LMG). It is the main weapon of the army. Along with the rifle, 60 cartridges and four magazines were stolen. The soldier was well aware that this was a serious crime. Suraj has two brothers, one of whom is also in the army, while the younger brother and father run a grocery store in Champawat. According to SP City Manoj Katyala, all the cartridges, magazines, and rifles have been recovered from the absconding soldier. The Assam police will interrogate him in this matter.

Lost in Online Gaming

During interrogation, the army soldier revealed that he had lost a lot of money in online gaming, which led to his indebtedness. He didn’t know what to do, so he fled with the rifle and cartridges. However, the police are not buying his story and are investigating the matter from all angles. Suraj Chandra Joshi had taken a month-long leave and returned to his unit on September 19. Fifteen days later, he fled with the rifle and cartridges from a truck going to Dimapur, and five days later, he was arrested from a hotel in Khateema. The police are investigating the entire sequence of events.