Rats ate 200 kg of hashish, main accused in drug smuggling case remains

In India, a court has acquitted the main accused in a drug smuggling case after a rat was accused of eating 200 kg of cannabis. A court in the Indian state of Jharkhand has acquitted the main accused in a drug smuggling case and strongly criticized the police for gross lapses in the handling of evidence, Indian media reported. The report said the case dates back to 2022, when police in the state of Jharkhand stopped a vehicle on a national highway and claimed to have recovered a large quantity of cannabis hidden inside. However, during the trial, the police said that about 200 kg of seized ganja, worth about 30 million Pakistani rupees, was eaten by rats in the warehouse. During the hearing of the case, the police told the court that the drugs could not be presented as evidence because rats in the warehouse were said to have eaten them.

The judge rejected this explanation, saying that the statement cast doubt on the entire police procedure in the case. According to Indian media reports, the court pointed out several inconsistencies in the statements of police witnesses, including basic details such as the exact place and time the vehicle was stopped, who detained the accused, and how the other alleged accomplices escaped. The court also noted that large quantities of marijuana were seized on busy highways, very close to residences, yet no independent civilian witnesses were called. Further, the prosecution did not prove any connection between defendant and the vehicle in which the drugs were allegedly found. The court held that the charges could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt and ordered that the accused be acquitted. The law states that when no material evidence remains and the entire chain of custody of evidence has been broken, the benefit of doubt must be given to the accused. Thus, the court acquitted the prime accused of all charges.