Rats ate 500kg of marijuana, police claim

The vermin in Mathura have odd appetites, at least if the Mathura police are to be believed; officials claim that rats have eaten more than 500 kilograms of marijuana that was in their custody.

According to a report submitted by Mathura police to a special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (1985) (NDPS) court, rats “ate” more than 500 kilos of marijuana that had been confiscated and stored in the warehouses of Shergarh and highway police stations.

Earlier this year, the court had asked Mathura police to produce the marijuana recovered in a case registered under the NDPS Act. After receiving the report, the additional district judge ordered SSP Mathura Abhishek Yadav to deal with the ‘mice menace’, then show concrete proof that the rats were the ones who devoured Rs6 million (Dh269,748) worth of marijuana.

“Time-bound action will be taken in compliance with the court orders,” said acting senior superintendent of police, Mathura, Martand P. Singh while the special public prosecutor Ranveer Singh said, “The SHOs of Shergarh and Highway police stations have claimed that 581 kg of weed stored in warehouses was destroyed by the rats. The court has ordered the police to produce evidence regarding the claim and set November 26 as the next hearing date.”