Ranchi, Jan 2: In a shocking and bizarre turn of events, a Ranchi court has acquitted the main accused in a significant narcotics case after police revealed that nearly 200 kilograms of seized marijuana, valued at approximately Rs 1 crore, had been eaten by rats while in police custody.
The case, which highlighted severe procedural lapses and contradictions, led to the acquittal of 26-year-old Indrajit Rai (also known as Anurjeet Rai), who had been facing charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The case dates back to January 2022, when Ormanjhi police, acting on a tip-off, intercepted a white Bolero vehicle on National Highway 20. The police alleged that the vehicle was transporting a large consignment of narcotics from Ranchi to Ramgarh. During the interception, three individuals fled the scene, but Rai was apprehended. A subsequent search revealed around 200 kilograms of ganja, leading to Rai's arrest.
However, the prosecution's case began to fall apart during the trial. Witness testimonies were inconsistent and failed to provide clear details about key aspects of the case, such as who had detained the accused, the exact location of the interception, and the duration of the search.
The final blow came when the police informed the court that the seized marijuana, stored in the Ormanjhi police station's malkhana (storage room), was no longer available. According to a station diary entry from 2024, the contraband had been eaten by rats.
The court's judgment cited "gross negligence" and "serious lapses in procedure," noting a complete breakdown in the chain of custody of the evidence. The prosecution's failure to establish a credible link between Rai and the vehicle, coupled with unreliable seizure, storage, and sampling processes, led the court to rule in favor of the accused.
“With no material evidence left and the chain of custody completely broken, the benefit of doubt must go to the accused,” the court stated in its ruling, thereby acquitting Rai of all charges.
This case has raised serious concerns about the security and handling of high-value seized items by law enforcement agencies. According to standard valuations, the destroyed cannabis was worth approximately Rs 1 crore, based on the Railway Protection Force’s (RPF) estimation of Rs 50,000 per kilogram.
This is not the first time that rodents have been blamed for the disappearance of seized goods in Jharkhand. Earlier this year, officials in Dhanbad reported that rats had consumed expensive liquor stored in government warehouses, leaving hundreds of bottles either empty or half-filled.
