Rats Eat 19 Kg of Confiscated Drugs in Jharkhand Police Station
In a highly unusual incident, Jharkhand police reported to a district court that rats had eaten 19 kilograms of confiscated marijuana and cannabis. The drugs, which were being stored at the Rajganj police station, were intended as evidence in an ongoing legal case.
The matter came to light when the district court directed the officer in charge of Rajganj police station to produce the seized drugs. The narcotics had been confiscated from Shambhu Prasad Agrawal and his son on December 14, 2018. The police had recovered 10 kilograms of cannabis and 9 kilograms of marijuana, registering an FIR against the duo at the time.
On Saturday, police personnel informed the court that the stored drugs had been destroyed by rats. This development was revealed in a report submitted to Principal District and Sessions Judge Ram Sharma. According to the report, the rats had accessed the store where the narcotics were kept, rendering the evidence unusable.
The disappearance of the drugs posed a significant challenge for the prosecution. The police had been ordered to produce the evidence in court on April 6, following the appointment of Jayprakash Prasad as the Investigating Officer. However, the police’s inability to present the seized items due to the rat infestation led to questions about the integrity of the case.
The defense lawyer for Prasad, Abhay Bhatt, argued that the failure to produce the drugs in court supported his client’s claim of being falsely accused. “Prasad appeared in court on Saturday with an application from the officer in charge of Rajganj police station, stating that rats had destroyed all confiscated material,” Bhatt told PTI.
The Rajganj police station’s experience is not isolated. Various police stations across India have reported similar issues with rodents and other pests compromising the integrity of stored evidence. These challenges call for enhanced measures to safeguard critical evidence from such destruction.
The court has yet to decide on the implications of the missing evidence for the ongoing case against Prasad and his son. The police have pledged to review their storage protocols to prevent such incidents in the future. The district administration may also consider conducting an inquiry into how the situation was allowed to occur and whether proper storage practices were followed.
In the meantime, the case remains a topic of interest and discussion, highlighting the importance of proper evidence management in the criminal justice system.
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