Indian Police Blame Rats for Disappearance of 500kg of Cannabis

Police in northern India claim that up to 500 kilograms (about 1,100 pounds) of confiscated cannabis, which had been stored in police stations and warehouses, have been eaten by rats, CNN reports.

According to court documents, officials in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, had requested 386 kg of confiscated cannabis but police returned saying that at least 200 kg were missing and potentially up to 700 kg had been further “impacted,” all due to the rat infestations which reportedly ran rampant throughout local police stations and facilities.

According to court documents acquired by CNN: “There’s a rat menace in almost all police stations. Hence, necessary arrangements need to be made to safeguard the cannabis that’s been confiscated.”

The judge hearing the case confirmed that police blamed rodents for the disappearance of 500 kg of cannabis which had been confiscated and stored in the Shergarh and Highway Police Station in Mathura.

“Rats are small animals, and they aren’t scared of the police.” — Mathura court note, via CNN

But while feasting rats were officially named the culprit in court, CNN reports that Mathura City Police Superintendent Martand Prakash Singh said later that the cannabis had been “destroyed by rains and flooding.”

“There was no reference to rats in the (report submitted to the court),” the police superintendent said in the report.