A rat was captured by the police.
In a bizarre incident, the police in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara have confined a rat into a cage after claiming the rodent consumed seized liquor kept in the Kotwali Police station. The cops said at least five dozen (or 60 bottles) were destroyed and blamed rats for it, claiming they enjoyed "sipping liquor".
The so-called arrest has brought a strange twist to an existing legal case. It involves a person from whom the police had seized the illegal liquor. Since the evidence has been destroyed, it has become problematic for the police to explain the situation before the court. The police will require proof and material to be shown in the court, which is proving to be a big challenge for them.
Rats have not only created havoc at the Kotwali police station but also at other government institutions in Chhindwara. The district hospital, the collectorate, and the education department are among the offices where these rodents are commonly present. They are known to nibble on important papers and occasionally even dead bodies, as per the authorities. Although the hospital has spent several lakhs on pest control to get rid of the rats, the efforts have not bore fruit.
So far, Kotwali Police have managed to catch one rat by setting a trap, but the others are still on the loose.
In Rajasthan this year, the family members of at least four mentally ill patients complained about rats gnawing the feet of patients in the psychiatry department of the MDM Hospital in Jodhpur. This prompted the administration to set up an inquiry committee to look into the matter.
The MDM hospital, which is Jodhpur division's largest government hospital, became home to rats with construction work and food waste littered on the floor providing a conducive habitat to the rodents.
Owing to the unhygienic conditions and open pits and craters, the population of rats at the hospital increased significantly but there was no action by the pest control agency, nor the administration, hospital sources said.