Rats don’t fear cops, consumed 581 kg seized ganja in station godown: Mathura police tell court
Agra: Mathura police has submitted a report to the Special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (1985) court that the over 500 kg ganja seized and stocked in the Shergarh and Highway police stations godowns was eaten up by rats.
The court had ordered the police earlier this year to produce the 581 kg of narcotics, worth Rs 60 lakh, seized in a case under the Act, reported Times of India.
The additional district judge told Abhishek Yadav, Mathura senior superintendent of police (SSP), to produce proof of such an act by rats. The judge also told the police official to take steps against the rat menace.
Acting Mathura SSP Martand P Singh has assured that action will be taken to comply with the court order.
“The station house officers (SHOs) of the Shergarh and Highway police stations have claimed that the 581 kg of ganja stored in the police station warehouses had been destroyed by rats. While the officers have also said that they are having a difficult time protecting things stored in the godowns from the rats, the court has demanded proof for the claim, setting November 26 as the date for the next hearing.
As directed by the court, the SSP of Mathura ordered a probe into the matter by the CO refinery, but the ganja was not recovered, the court has said.
The Mathura police has reportedly clarified before court that rats, although small, do not fear the police adding, “The SHOs cannot be experts in solving every problem.”
Incidentally, there were similar incidents related to the police in the last couple of years.
In May 2020, up to 386 kg ganga hidden in millet bags was seized in a truck in Jatwari village of Shergarh. When the court ordered the police to produce the weed, however, the Shergarh SHO said that rats had eaten the ganja. He said that keeping away the rats was getting tough for the police.
In 2021, over 1,400 cartons of liquor, worth over Rs 35 lakh, seized and kept in the Kotwali Dehat police station in Etah district, had been consumed by rats, as claimed by the police.
A preliminary inquiry in the latter case, however, revealed that the policemen in Etah had sold the seized liquor to gangster Bantu Yadav.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka Guv to halve convoy size following PM Modi's austerity call
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Thursday reduced the size of his official convoy to the minimum required strength following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's austerity call.
In a post on 'X', the Lok Bhavan said Gehlot had taken the step in response to the Prime Minister's appeal for fuel conservation and reduction in foreign exchange expenditure amid the West Asia crisis.
"Hon'ble Governor of Karnataka Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot has reduced his convoy to the minimum required strength, following Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji's appeal," the post said.
The move comes days after Modi, while addressing a rally organised by the BJP in Hyderabad, called for several measures aimed at conserving foreign exchange and reducing dependence on imports amid tensions in West Asia.
The Prime Minister had urged citizens to reduce petrol and diesel consumption, use metro rail services in cities, adopt carpooling, increase the use of electric vehicles and utilise railway services for parcel transportation. He had also suggested working from home wherever possible to conserve fuel and foreign exchange.
Modi further appealed to people to postpone the purchase of gold and foreign travel for one year, reduce edible oil consumption, lower dependence on chemical fertilisers and promote natural farming and swadeshi products to strengthen self-reliance and conserve foreign exchange.
