Rats Held Responsible for Empty Liquor Bottles in MP Police Station

In a peculiar turn of events, rats have been blamed for emptying out liquor bottles seized as evidence by police in Madhya Pradesh. The rodents seem to have developed a taste for alcohol, leaving cops puzzled on how to explain missing evidence to courts.

The incident came to light at the Kotwali police station in Chhindwara district. Around 60 plastic bottles containing 180 ml of liquor each were kept in storage after being seized in an ongoing legal case. However, when police went to retrieve the bottles to present as evidence in court, they found the bottles emptied out.

Police claim the station’s dilapidated building is prone to rat infestation. The rodents apparently gnawed through the plastic bottles and consumed the liquor inside. While the culprits remain at large, one rat has been “detained” in a cage to be presented as proof in court.

This is not an isolated incident. Rats have developed a reputation for destroying records and consuming food and liquor in government offices across Chhindwara. The local hospital, collectorate office, and education department have also reported extensive damage by rats despite spending heavily on pest control.

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2. Police Face Uphill Legal Battle

Similar Incidents Reported in Other States

In July 2022, Chennai police reported that rats had emptied out 22 kg of marijuana stored as evidence at a police station. This led a local court to acquit two men as the police had no evidence left to present against them.

Earlier in the year, rats were found nibbling on the feet of mentally ill patients at a hospital in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. In 2018, over 1,000 liters of seized liquor went missing from a police station in Bareilly, UP with rats again being blamed.

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Police Face Uphill Legal Battle

The Chhindwara police are now faced with an uphill legal battle as the liquor was meant to be presented as evidence. Without material evidence, the case against the accused becomes weak. Police will have to find credible means to explain the loss in court.

The judge had laughed off a similar explanation by police in another Madhya Pradesh court earlier. Rats may have had an alcohol party this time, but the cops are certainly not amused.

The Chhindwara police will have to step up pest control measures and tighten storage procedures to prevent such episodes from repeating. However, the immediate challenge is to build a convincing case without material evidence being eaten up by rats running amok in police stations.

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