200 kg ganja eaten by rats derails Indian drugs case

A court in Ranchi acquitted a drug case accused after police said rats ate 200 kg of seized ganja stored in a police malkhana. Ormanjhi Police stopped a white Bolero on NH 20 on January 17, 2022, after a tip about narcotics moving toward Ramgarh. Officers said three men fled, catching Indrajeet Rai alias Anarjeet Rai. Police claimed they recovered 200 kg of ganja in about 170 packets hidden in compartments. When trial evidence was needed in February 2024, a diary said rodents had destroyed the stash. Additional Judicial Commissioner Anand Prakash called that claim suspicious, writing, "This casts a suspicion on the very seizure of the case and its handling by the police." Seven police witnesses contradicted each other on basic facts. The court also noted no independent witnesses on a busy highway, weak links to the vehicle, and missing engine or chassis numbers. On December 19, 2025, Rai was acquitted of all charges. The judgment ordered his release if not wanted elsewhere, closing a case undone by paperwork gaps, vanished evidence, and an unlikely appetite among rats.