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Two persons who were arrested and charged in a case for the possession of 22 kg of marijuana, were acquitted on Tuesday after the Tamil Nadu Police informed a court that rats had eaten the entire stash, India Today reported on Wednesday.
According to the police, rats ate 22 kg of marijuana that was being stored in a police storehouse.
In 2020, a chargesheet was filed against two persons -- Rajagopal and Nageshwara Rao—by the Marina police in Chennai. After an investigation was conducted, they were arrested by the police.
The case was heard by a special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) court. The police submitted 50g of the marijuana that was seized from the accused as evidence. The cops also informed the court that another 50g of the marijuana had been sent to a forensic lab for analysis.
Rajagopal and Nageshwara Rao were acquitted by the court as the police could not submit the amount of marijuana mentioned in the charge sheet.
This is not the first time that rats have been blamed for eating marijuana that was being stored by the police. In November 2022, the Mathura police claimed that rats ate up over 500 kg of marijuana. The rats “ate” over 500 kg of marijuana stored in the warehouses of Shergarh and Highway police stations, according to a report submitted by Mathura police to a special NDPS court.
The additional district judge ordered Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Abhishek Yadav to get rid of the “mice menace” and then deliver proof that rats actually consumed 581 kg of marijuana worth Rs 60 lakh.
