In a major development following a serious breach of security at India’s premier shooting facility, the missing rifle belonging to international shooter Adriyan Karmakar has been recovered—just days after the story broke on indianshooting.com.
The incident, which raised alarm bells across India’s shooting fraternity, involved the disappearance of a rifle from the strong room of the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range. The rifle, owned by Adrian Karmakar—India’s representative at the ongoing Asian Shooting Championship in Shymkent, Kazakhstan—was reported missing for over a week.
Despite several internal searches by Sports Authority of India (SAI) officials, security personnel, and Adrian himself, the rifle could not be located. There was no formal FIR filed by either Karmakar or SAI, prompting concerns about procedural lapses and security failures at the high-security facility.
The breakthrough came just two days after indianshooting.com first reported the troubling disappearance. Following public attention on the case, the rifle was suddenly found in the very place it was initially stored—the finals range armoury.
“The rifle has been found today. The administrator of Karni Singh Shooting Range informed me that it was located in the finals range armoury, where Adriyan had kept it on June 23,” Joydeep Karmakar, Olympian and Adrian’s father, told indianshooting.com.
“Adriyan, along with SAI officials and security staff, had conducted thorough searches multiple times, but the rifle was nowhere to be found. Since the matter was highlighted, I believe the person who took it realised it could be tracked and quietly returned it to its original location,” added Karmakar.
The mysterious disappearance and sudden reappearance have raised troubling questions. Was the rifle truly misplaced—or was it taken and returned once media attention made the heat unbearable?
Though no official statement has been issued by the administrator of the Karni Singh Shooting Range, the incident highlights serious flaws in the facility’s security protocols. The fact that a competition rifle could vanish without a trace—and reappear only after media pressure—underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive investigation to determine how the security lapse occurred, why initial search efforts failed, and whether foul play was involved.