(Web Desk) – A court in India has acquitted the main accused in a drug smuggling case after police claimed that nearly 200 kilograms of seized cannabis were eaten by rats while stored in a warehouse, raising serious questions about the investigation process.
According to Indian media reports, the case had been under trial since 2022 in the eastern state of Jharkhand. Police had claimed they recovered a large quantity of cannabis from a vehicle stopped on a national highway. However, during the court proceedings, investigators informed the court that the seized drugs could not be produced as evidence because rats had destroyed them in storage.
The estimated value of the missing cannabis was said to be around three crore Pakistani rupees. The court rejected the explanation, observing that such claims undermined the credibility of the entire case.
The judge pointed out major contradictions in the statements of police witnesses, including discrepancies about the location and timing of the vehicle interception, details of the accused’s arrest, and the alleged escape of accomplices.
The court also noted that despite the recovery allegedly taking place on a busy highway near residential areas, no independent civilian witnesses were included. Additionally, the prosecution failed to establish a clear link between the accused and the seized vehicle.
The court ruled that in the absence of material evidence and with a broken chain of custody, the benefit of the doubt must go to the accused, leading to his acquittal on all charges.
